Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring
by Crystal Renee
Summary: During a mission, Sakura scarifices her morals and innocence to protect her team. She begins changing slowly, worrying her team, especially Sasuke. Can he figure out what happened before she loses herself? SasuSaku, some NaruHina
1. Prolouge: Deflowered

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or any other characters. Sorry ya'll… it's not my job to own these guys.

**Author's Notes:** Yes, I know, all my other readers are going to be so mad at me. Crystal Renee has changed her addictions, yet again, and her Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha and Teen Titans stories are going on an even longer hiatus for the coming of her first Naruto fan fiction. Yes, this is my first. Not my first fiction, but my first Naruto one. I'm sorry if I do some extreme OCC by accident—I have read the manga up to chapter 271 and I've been watching subbed episodes for a while, but that doesn't make me an expert and this idea just came bounding into my mind not to long ago. So you'll have to forgive me.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Prologue: Deflowered**_

When the signal was given, the four man Jounin group split into two man teams and went separate directions. Sakura followed behind the man who was once her sensei; this was her first mission as a Jounin. Kakashi had requested for his entire team to be reunited fortheir first mission, and Tsunade agreed without hesitation. All three had recently graduated together from the Jounin exam; normally they would have been separated into separate teams and gone on separate missions. She was willing to make one exception, just for them.

Kakashi shook his head as he slunk along the building; his team was strong. They had always been strong, even before each was taught by one of the three legendary Sannin. He just felt it was his duty to be on their first mission.

_'For old time's sake,'_ he thought _'even though this time I can't read Icha Icha Paradise.'_

His hand went up, signaling Sakura to halt in her footsteps. He fell back into a position against the wall, one hand in front of his bent knee and the other fanned out over his kunai holster. Footsteps came barreling off the corridor walls with a deafening echo before they died down. Sakura kept her breathing in check by wringing her hands together. They had all been alerted to how dangerous this mission was-- a high A-ranked mission, entrusted to them because of the power they held together as a team.

She only hoped Naruto and Sasuke were doing alright and not fighting with one another. There was no time for that.

Another sweeping hand movement had her separating herself from Kakashi and turning down a separate hall. She hated these traditional buildings; the walls were thin and sound traveled though them easier, making it more difficult to mask her presence. Every footstep left a creaking sound, light and nearly inaudible. Shadows were cast on the dusty floors where moonlight didn't reach from the high windows; Sakura shrouded herself there and continued snaking along.

At the end of her hall, a door was open. Light poured out and the sounds of human interaction boomed. She swallowed and took a few steps closer, listening to the voices to determine how many were within in the room. Could one possibly be their target? Kakashi and herself had taken the easy way in to make a direct assassination; Sasuke and Naruto had to deal with the guards and other Jounin that would hinder the operation.

Sakura had been selected as the one to deal the killing blow. They didn't want bloodshed, they wanted secrecy and silence. Tsunade had told her to do whatever was required in the situation, but to use her medic nin skills to kill. It mattered not how she went about that, as long as it was completed in a silent, efficient manner. Her hands began to shake; even if she was a Jounin, she had yet to kill another, let alone the grand ninja she was supposed to assassinate. It was daunting. She was a medic nin; her job was to save lives, not steal them.

That was what made her the perfect choice for the situation; she was an unexpected and surprising choice for the assassin.

"Kakashi, I have him. There are three in the room, but I think I can manage." She whispered into her radio headset. "Continue?"

"Wait for the report from Sasuke and Naruto." He told her. "If they don't report back in fifteen minutes, make your move. I'm rounding the outside of the building again to get to the room your at. Where exactly are you?"

"End of the east hall. There are lights from the room; you should be able to spot it."

"Okay. Wait until you hear from the others or when I radio in and say go. Then let us know when you've completed your task."

Sakura sighed, preparing herself for what she needed to do. "Right."

The radio was silent for a few moments. "Sakura… nothing will go wrong. I'll be right outside and if I think you need help, I'll jump in."

She didn't respond; there was no reason to.

* * *

"Sakura?"

She jolted slightly; the radio had been quiet for a while. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Sasuke and Naruto aren't reporting back. Go in. I'm not where you are just yet, I have some things I need to deal with first. You can handle this on your own. Just don't get hasty." Kakashi's voice told her. "I want you to go. Now."

"Right."

She turned the radio switch to off, feeling around in her kunai holster for the poisoned syringe she'd packed (poison was a quicker method of killing than trying to get in close and use her chakra to sever blood vessels). Sakura had enough of the poison to administer to ten men within that single syringe, but it was only meant for the final target. She pulled up her sleeve as she edged closer to the doorway where laughter and business chatter flew out; under it were poisoned needles set up in slingshot form for precision and power. These were to take care of those obstacles in her way of the target.

Stopping at the edge of the doorway, she opened her palm and positioned the mirror within it to show her a view inside the room. There was a bookshelf she could hide behind after killing the two who were in her way not far from the doorway. The table where all three men were sitting and conversing was in the center of the room, the assassination targets back toward her. A silent sigh escaped her lips; this was turning out much simpler than she had expected.

Counting to three she burst from her position and simultaneously shot her poisoned needles. The two men guarding and conversing with her objective fell paralyzed with needles in their neck, the poison immediately rendering them immobile while she disappeared behind the bookshelf. The syringe came spinning out of the kunai holster, her fingers positioned to quickly push the poison out and into her victim.

Sakura found herself throwing her body against the bookshelf as six shuriken grazed by her arm. The mirror was pulled out again, angled so it couldn't be seen by the person intending to kill her. She could see his perfect stance, the way his hands began forming seals. Snapping the mirror shut again she focused her chakra into her fist. She was going to stop this attack.

The fire technique commenced and she pounded viciously upon the bookshelf, shattering in into enough pieces and with enough force to push the fire shot at her back toward the creator. Without wasting a moments time she shot forward through her own attack, the syringe in her hand and poised to penetrate.

Then he took hold of her wrist holding the syringe, a single kunai positioned under her left breast. She looked up at her captor before kicking forward and forcing him back; his grip never wavered and she went flying forward with him. A short struggle later she found herself pinned beneath him, her syringe out of reach and the kunai still positioned above her heart.

"It's not everyday I get such a beautiful woman after my life."

_'Not this…I can't move my legs or the rest of my body for that matter. What did he do?'_

"You just took some of your own poison." The dark haired man explained. "I doubt it was enough to kill you, but your pretty well paralyzed for the next… five minutes I would say. Pity, you should have been more careful when fighting a retired hunter nin."

Sakura grit her teeth together. _'Dammit, how am I supposed to get out of this one? No one is here to help me and it's my job to kill this guy… in five minutes he could have me dead since I can't move.'_

He got up and threw the kunai across the room where it took residence in his wall before looking down at her. "Nishi Kiyo won't go down so easily. Actually… my guards are more than enough for you."

She watched Nishi walk toward a window and look down toward the front gates. "Seems the veteran on your squad has his hands full, it's a shame. From the looks of things, the other two members of your team are already captive."

"What?" she rasped. _'I have to fight this poison… I have to save them!'_

He smiled. It was _that_ smile, she noted.

Sakura cringed.

"My men are waiting for my call. I'll give you a choice. You can be stubborn and condemn them or you can comply and save their lives. It's your choice."

She didn't even wait to see what she was consenting to. If it was for her teammates, she'd do it. They were more important, and a person who didn't take care of their comrades was lower than trash.

That was something Kakashi had taught her.

* * *

Sakura refused to meet his eyes as her arms wrapped around his bare back.

_'Do whatever it takes to finish this mission Sakura… whatever it takes.'_

The grunting noises he was making made her want to throw up. She was still numb from her paralysis so she couldn't feel him moving freely in and out of her body, which was for the best. Sakura flung her head to the side, staring longingly at the syringe just barely out of her reach as Nishi dropped his head down to envelop her neck in kisses. Her eyes flew shut and she cringed at the slight sensation. She didn't want this.

She never thought her first time would be given to the enemy in order to rescue her comrades; it never crossed her mind that she'd be throwing away her innocence she'd saved just to rescue Naruto. What would he have to say about this? Naruto would be fiercously vengeful, she knew that. Kakashi would be indifferent.

How about Sasuke, the one she had been saving herself for in the first place?

He didn't need to know, she decided.Sasuke wouldn't treat her any different, nor would he think twice about what happened to her. Sakura sighed as she stretched her arm out. Sasuke had been right after all; she was weak.

But she had to finish this mission.

Her fingers grazed the edge of the syringe, slowly pulling it closer to her hand. If she could grip it, there was a chance…

Nishi was distracted. She could do this.

Her hand clenched around the syringe, pulling it upward as Nishi arched his back, pulling her up with him for the final movement before he climaxed. She waited, watching his expression until his eyes shut.

The syringe embedded itself into his neck and she shot the poison into his body, shoving him off with her hands and out of her body. Nishi lay dead within two seconds, completely naked upon the floor. Sakura pulled her clothing closer to her body, sobbing into the Jounin jacket she had been so proud to earn along with the rest of team seven.

Kakashi landed next to the window, looking in. He saw the dead body, naked and devoid of clothing, and he saw Sakura crying, gripping her clothing while she attempted to straighten her voice before turning on the radio again.

He slunk away from the window, head facing the ground. Her voice would come, normal as ever, over the radio and he'd pretend he saw nothing. Kakashi was no fool; he knew what went on in that room.

Sakura had made the ultimate sacrifice for the team.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Okay, so there was no real interaction with the other characters, but there is a reason behind this. Expect this to be a Sasu/Saku fic, because that's my favorite coupling. I needed the prologue to be this way purposely. Every small factor of this will eventually come in to play if I can remember to update on a regular basis.

Please let me know how I did and review!

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	2. Chapter 1: Self Immolated

**Author's Note: **Wow, thanks for all the reviews, you guys! And as a note, there was a reason I had Sakura use a poisoned syringe as opposed to normal medic nin techniques such as using her chakra to cut arteries. Sakura never was strong with close range combat, and a syringe can be thrown, much like the needles, and is a good mid-range to long range attack. The only reason she used it for short range in the prologue was because of the circumstances. Another reason is that the syringe was a bloodless way to kill her enemy, which was a requirement from Tsunade. And on another note, Sakura was also hit with some of her poison, which was only enough to paralyze her. Had she still be capable of movement, she would have fought back instead of agreed, as I'm sure you know. But you were right, Only Secret, that Sakura would normally cut arteries and such with her knowledge of human antimony. But she also has acquired knowledge in poisons (such as when she created antidotes for the poison Kankuro was inflicted with 2 and a half year after Sasuke left). That's where I got that from. I hope that clears up some things!

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

**_Chapter 1: Self Immolated_**

"Sakura, you need to stop moving."

The pastel haired girl turned her blank gaze toward Tsunade. She was more than a Hokage to Sakura-- she was her mentor. Shame radiated through her blood vessels as her superior pulled the remnants of poison from her body; she had managed to let down Tsunade on her first mission, even if it was successful. Fixating her gaze on the floorboards, Sakura began counting the mistakes she had made in her 'maiden voyage' as a Jounin.

She could have, and should have, taken out her objective first. All she would have needed to do was throw the syringe with an apparatus connected to it she could use from a distance to force the poison into his body. There had been no real point in taking out the people protecting him until afterward with an opening such as that. When she had fallen on her own needle and taken a bit of the newly concocted toxin, she could have avoided it by rolling to the side.

_'I could have just said no…Sasuke-kun and Naruto didn't need my help in the end.'_

This was what haunted her the most about the willing sacrifice. When Sakura had redressed and appeared on the roof of the building, her comrades were waiting for her with minor cuts and abrasions. She had been the only one with injuries that required medical assistance. Everyone else had been perfectly fine, waiting diligently for her during the last ten minutes of the mission.

She had given away her morals and values—her innocence—for no apparent reason in the end. Sakura had sacrificed her virginity for a hollow threat.

_'Even if I had refused… would he have still raped me?'_

The thought sent chills down her spine, causing her to shiver just as Tsunade finished extracting the toxic acid inside her body. A small vile of antidote was placed into Sakura's trembling palm before the Hokage left her side to sit behind her desk. Warm honey eyes stared down the lackluster woman with curiosity and worry. Tsunade would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly perturbed at Sakura's sudden lack of vivacity. The way she smoothed out her tan skirt to increase its coverage of her legs and how her eyes remained transfixed on the floor caused the Hokage's worry meter to advance from skeptical to highly suspicious.

_'What happened to you, Sakura?'_

"Sakura…"

Her head snapped up suddenly, plastic smile plastered upon her face. "Yes Tsunade-sama?"

"Have a mission report ready for me tomorrow." She responded, her voice hesitating. "And… make sure you visit your comrades. They're worried about you."

"Oh, they have no reason to worry about me. I'm going to be fine Tsunade-sama! They need their rest anyway—most of the fighting was on their end of things, I just went in and…" Sakura paused as the memories flashed through her head. "... assassinated the target."

Tsunade sighed. "I know it's not your duty to perform those tasks; I'm a medic nin as well. I'm your teacher. But Sakura you have to understand, you were the only candidate for this particular task."

"I understand, I'm going to be fine." Sakura stated, the plastic smile still on her face. "I'm going to rest up for a while and then I'll file the mission report in the morning."

* * *

Shooting up in bed for the fifth time that night, Sakura finally succumbed to fact—she wasn't going to be sleeping tonight. Her heart and thoughts were far too jumbled and broken. Disastrous deeds had occurred that night; she wasn't sure which was worse or weighed more heavily on her heart. Her mind was refusing to register the phantoms that came with murdering another human, and instead focused directly on the filth that had infiltrated her body.

She felt dirty.

It took everything in Sakura not to get out of bed and shower for the sixth time that night. Her skin was already raw from repeated scrubbing with a brush; her hair had thinned out considerably from her insistent brushing. For once in her life she found a practical use for foundation—it covered bruises well, even if it did disappear while she was sweating during missions or training.

Crawling from her bed, Sakura stripped herself from her clothing and peered into the full body mirror connected to her door. Sea green eyes flowed over her curves in the mirror, hating every inch of the body she had been so proud of. She hugged herself against the chill in the room, her eyes searching for any bruise or hickey she had missed covering with foundation and powder. All that she saw was red, bloody masses where she'd scrubbed the hardest in the shower—around her neck, down her chest to her stomach, her thighs…

_'Maybe… if I look this way, they'll look away with disgust and it will never have to happen again.'_

Most nights Sakura would wish someone lived with her—tonight, she couldn't be happier to be eighteen and living alone.

She placed her clothing back on and pulled open a window before sitting at the desk in her room. Taking an empty scroll and her brush and ink, Sakura began documenting the mission with the meticulous detail she was notorious for. Later she would need to question Sasuke or Naruto on their participation, but for tonight she could scrawl out her portion of the story.

* * *

"Something was wrong with Sakura."

It hadn't been a passing comment; it was a statement demanding a response while being delivered in a bored, monotone voice. Sasuke cocked and eye open to the man beside him, waiting for his continuation on the subject. The blonde didn't respond immediately, being far too engrossed in his late night meal. It was ritual for the team to stop for ramen after a mission, no matter the hour. Tonight it was just the two of them—Sakura would have been there, but Kakashi had whisked her off to see Tsunade before she could order.

Finally placing his second bowl down and ordering a third, Naruto turned to his dark haired counterpart. "It was her first kill. I think anyone would be reacting that way."

"Hn." Sasuke poked at his ramen, deep in thought with a glacier-like face. "She would have said something to us when it was done, not just walk past like she didn't see us."

"That was a bit strange." A chopstick was used to add emphasis to his words. "But I think she was in shock. Maybe we should stop by Sakura-chan's place before heading home, just to check on her."

Sasuke gave him a weird look. "It's three in the morning, you moron. She's probably sleeping off her injuries."

"It wouldn't be the first time we've all met that early in the morning." Naruto countered.

"Hn."

"You're the one who's so worried, Sasuke. You brought up the subject." Naruto smirked.

The glare he received for that comment forced a triumphant grin to his face. Naruto went back to finishing his third bowl of ramen, ordering a fourth and then diving into that one with gluttonous intent, never taking an eye off Sasuke. He had been acting strangely lately when it came to Sakura, and no one but Naruto had taken notice to it.

It wasn't everyday Uchiha Sasuke asked Haruno Sakura to train with him, especially not before an exam like the Jounin exam—nor was it everyday you heard him stating some form of concern over the pink haired woman.

Naruto smiled.

As he raised his hand for a fifth refill, Sasuke's straight lips pulled up into a mischievous smile. Naruto pulled his hand back, looking at his partner and contemplating his intentions. That smirk hadn't appeared much since they brought Sasuke back from Orochimaru, and it still caused Nartuo's blood to run cold. Of course, there was no malice or homicidal intent in the smirk, but it still meant something unpleasant was about to unfold.

"It was supposed to be Sakura's treat tonight." Sasuke stated, turning toward Naruto. "Since she's not here and next mission you would be paying, that means you're paying for the meal tonight. If I were you I'd only eat as much as I could afford."

"Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto screamed. "I thought you were paying!"

"When did I say I was?"

Naruto raised a chopstick, and then put it back down. "I just assumed! Wait, where are you going? Sasuke!"

His cry fell to deaf ears—Sasuke was already gone.

_'Cheapskate.' _

"Oi, Naruto!" came a familiar voice. "Back from your first mission as a Jounin?"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried, pushing his empty bowls out of view. "You came to treat me to ramen!"

* * *

"I'm so stupid!" Sakura screamed at herself, tossing the closest object to her—a porcelain vase given to her by Naruto as a birthday gift—across the room.

It shattered into pieces, and she cursed herself again. That had been her favorite vase; she had been saving it for the day Sasuke turned up at her door with flowers. Sakura sighed and pulled her knees up to her chin, her expression falling blank once more. She no longer had hope in such a whimsical fantasy—it died that night.

Intertwined with her own self hatred, she had disposed of unearthly hopes and dreams that she no longer deserved. The image she now painted for her future was bleak; the face of Uchiha Sasuke was no longer within it. She was the only one there, with a backdrop of black.

The clock across the room chimed seven times; Sakura sighed. She hadn't slept a wink, and her body ached from its malnourished state of insomnia. Every time her eyes closed, she saw him tearing her Jounin jacket off. When she'd twitch and writhe in between her sheets, she could feel his hands and mouth exploring her most sacred places. She remembered the face he made once he realized she was a virgin.

Suddenly she felt dirty again.

She couldn't hold it in anymore—the sobs just started on their own.

"You really should close your windows. It's too cold to have them open this early in the morning."

Sakura jolted from her position and turned to face the window, feverously wiping her eyes before she stood up and trotted over. Peeping out, her eyes scoped out the last man she wanted to see, his hands nonchalantly placed in his pockets and a devious scowl imbedded on his face. She could feel her face falter and contort with her emotions before she put them back under control.

"Since when does it matter if I have my window open or not? The breeze felt good."

She winced. That was cold—very unlike her.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, taking in what she looked like.

_'Terrible.'_

There was no other word for it, and that was him trying to be polite about it. If he didn't know any better, Sasuke would say she hadn't slept at all that night and she had just got done crying. Which, he thought, wasn't that far off the realm of possibility. He closed his eyes and then shook his head— something was definitely wrong with Sakura if she spoke so coldly and offensively without adding 'Sasuke-kun' somewhere in her first statement to him of the day.

"Why are you outside my window in the first place?"

That pulled him out of his stupor. "Mission or not, you and I were supposed to practice jutsu at six. You never showed up so I came looking for you. I wasted a good hour that I could have been practicing defending myself against medic nins with shuriken and kunai target training."

"I'm sorry." Sakura stated, finally sounding more like herself. "I was up finishing the mission report."

A scroll came flying up to her, and she caught it with prime accuracy. "That's the other half of the mission report from my angle of things. Just give Tsunade your report and that one instead of trying to rewrite it to yours."

Sakura only nodded in response. Sasuke looked to the side, debating within himself if he should ask her what was bothering her or why she looked so horrendous. Now didn't seem like the time, and being Uchiha Sasuke, it wasn't like him to care in the first place. It was true he'd changed since being brought back from Orochimaru three years earlier, but that didn't mean every part of him changed. He was still the ice block he had been before, just softer around the edges and more aware of his surroundings.

"I'll go practice with the moron. It should be fun pulling him out of bed this early." Sasuke stated, that mischievous grin on his face as he imagined how angry Naruto would be. "I expect you to be ready to practice tomorrow morning."

"Aa." Sakura stated, turning around and shutting her window.

_'What is wrong with you, Sakura? Your not acting like yourself at all. What happened to you those ten minutes you were away from Kakashi?'_

Sasuke shrugged off his uneasy feeling and continued on down the road—Naruto would be a good replacement training dummy to ease his frustrations. The thought brought his smirk back. It was always fun to mess with his friends head, and he made for good conversation time to time. As long as they could stay off his anxiety over Sakura's sudden change in personality, everything would be okay.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I won't lie. I wasn't going to update until I had ten reviews but that didn't happen before I was told we wouldn't have power tomorrow so I thought, oh well. I'll just aim for 20 before the next chapter comes up (knowing me I'll update again anyway). I hope this chapter lived up to expectations. Also, I have no idea if I even came close to giving Sasuke a good character in this—I've been so nervous about writing his character, I hope I didn't slaughter him. The same goes for Naruto and Tsunade. I can write Sakura because of how I twisted her. shrugs Please review!

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	3. Chapter 2: Self Fortification

**Author's Note**: Okay everyone! Only Secret, I'm starting to think you're my favorite reviewer. Why? Because you make me need to explain things and that helps me improve. Now, to explain the 'joking' Sasuke characterization at the end of the last chapter (something that confused a few of you). I purposely wrote Sasuke like that with his intent to wake up Naruto because I figured it would be like him to go out of his way to enrage his rival and close friend. I could be wrong. But everyone, thanks for the responsiveness. And I'm dedicating this chapter to Only Secret—thanks for beta-ing this for me!

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

**_Chapter 2: Self Fortification_**

Sasuke began forming seals, his Sharingan keeping close watch of Sakura's advances in the tree canopy. The branch he stood on was cracking, but he had enough time to summon forth the chakra needed for this fire attack. Shooting his gaze to the left, Sasuke watched as she positioned herself amongst the leaves, already knowing the attack she would need to defend against.

Gathering the chakra into his chest, he prepared himself to heave out the fiery jutsu and finish their sparring match. He was annoyed. Sakura was usually much more confrontational in their training; he had tried to push it off as her attempting a new tactic she'd though out, but the entire half an hour had been the same. He was wasting chakra on a target that never attacked back.

Pain pierced his leg muscles out of nowhere, causing him to fall forcefully on the already cracking branch. Sakura stood above him, chakra surrounding her fingers and a distance gaze in her eyes. Her replication in the trees disappeared from existence, smoke filling the area in its wake. With Sakura's added weight, the branch snapped and the pair went toppling from the tree tops.

Sasuke managed to land on another branch before smashing into the forest floor; he reached out and took Sakura's hand before she could fly past him. Her hand began to tremble in his grip as he pulled her up; the moment he let go, she unconsciously moved away from him and straightened out her clothes. He chose to ignore that strange behavior; his legs were in too much pain. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, he draped his arms over his knees.

"You were planning an ambush the whole time." He noted. "What did you do to me, anyways?"

"I severed some of your muscles." She responded lightly. "And it was an attack of opportunity, I didn't plan it."

Sasuke gave her a skeptical look before nodding in response. "You win. I need to stop underestimating you."

She placed a hand against the muscles in his legs that she sliced, healing them instantaneously before sitting back on her legs, pushing the infamous tan skirt to cover as much of her exposed flesh as possible.

The movement didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, yet he pretended to be oblivious her sudden bashfulness. When they had traveled to the training area that morning, Sakura had kept an unusual distance from him. She hadn't stopped fidgeting since then.

Why was she suddenly so uncomfortable around him? The nagging voice in his head prompted him with tempting offers and strategies to go about discovering the root of her sudden strange actions; Sasuke ignored it. It wasn't his place to ask; if she had wanted him to know, she would have said something.

_'But this feeling isn't going away… something bad happened on that mission.'_

"Sakura…" he began, rubbing his hand over where the wounds were.

"Yes?"

Sasuke shook his head before responding. "When we spar like this, how much do you hold back?"

She blinked. "Why would you want to know that?'

"I need to know if I'm fighting the full abilities of a medic nin." He responded coolly. "Today you seemed to be letting me off pretty easy."

"I was afraid of getting to close to you."

His gaze was quizzical. "I wasn't going to hurt you."

Sakura began to stammer from nervousness, trying to scrape up an excuse. "If I had come too close, you would have predicted my movements with the Sharingan."

"Hn."

* * *

"So that's what happened." Tsunade stated, her eyes dull. "No wonder that part of the mission report was scrawled so hastily."

Kakashi nodded. "I didn't think she'd tell you. The others are worried about her, but I doubt she'll tell them either."

"It's my fault." Tsunade stated. "I was the one who told her to do whatever it took to make the mission successful."

Sighing, the Hokage set her chin on her hands and gazed toward the wall, creating images in her head of what could have happened to her pupil. She felt like throwing a tantrum. Sakura had been such a promising kunochi, and now they would need to monitor her mental state to be sure she was capable of going on missions or working at the hospital. An act such as the one taken against Sakura could maim a person for the rest of their lives, destroying their social and emotional stability.

There was no medicine in the world Tsunade could create to save the pastel haired girl.

"I'll write this into the report and then we'll go from there. If she seems stable enough, I'll send her on the next mission Shikamaru goes on." Came Tsunade's response. "I'll inform him to keep an extra close eye on her movements and mannerisms. If she hesitates at all, he'll remember it."

"Who else will be in the four man cell?"

"No one else from team seven will be on the team."

The blank look she received showed Kakashi's disapproval. "Fifth, you do realize that will be forcing her into a more difficult situation?"

"I have to test her. She can't be with Sasuke and Naruto all the time; there is nothing to guarantee that she feels remotely comfortable with them as it is. I can't place her in an all woman squad because the brute force of the male is usually needed." Tsunade responded. "If she can't go through with someone she is remotely familiar with, then missions will be impossible for her, as will hospital work."

"What are you going to do if she doesn't perform up to par?"

Tsunade's look was grave. "Let's just hope she realizes she'll have to improvise."

* * *

Poking at her ramen, Sakura listened as Naruto argued with Kakashi. She hated being the center of arguments, but she had no drive to stop this one. The news had been earth shattering; her heart was racing even though she appeared to be calm and unfazed. It was far too soon for her body and mind.

She wasn't ready to go on another mission.

"We've always gone together!" Naruto cried, throwing a chopstick toward the man he used to call sensei. "Why is she separating us now?"

"You just can't stand staying home when Sakura goes off to do something dangerous, can you dobe?"

"Sasuke-teme!"

"Sakura's a medic nin— the only one who isn't on a mission right now. Every jounin group needs a medic nin with them on a mission." Kakashi tried to compromise. "Your skills weren't needed for this mission. That's why Sakura's going alone."

"We knew this would happen." She stated, breaking into the conversation. "Once we became jounin, wewere no longer Team Seven. We're individual ninjas now. We won't always be together… if we ever are."

The group remained silent momentarily.

"I'd better go prepare." Sakura stated, pulling out her money and setting it on the counter. "Excuse me."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto stated, watching her with worried eyes.

She turned to him, a fake smile on her face. "I'm fine Naruto. You don't need to worry."

* * *

"You're going too, Hinata-chan?" Naruto whined. "First Sakura-chan, and now you! Is Old Lady Tsunade trying to take all my friends away?"

She smiled. "Naruto-kun… it's a mission. You go on them too."

"That's different!" he scowled.

"How is it different? When you leave, I'm still here alone, aren't I?" Hinata questioned. "There is always something left behind, Naruto-kun."

Naruto pointed a finger then dropped it as he sat on the chair near Hinata's desk, watching her rummage around her apartment to pack up for her mission. She had stopped wearing the large jacket and gone straight to her jounin uniform—something which accented her look much more nicely. He smiled as he watched her; Hinata had changed since the first Chuunin exam. If he could be so bold, Naruto would say the only that hadn't changed about Hinata was her gentleness.

"Naruto-kun…"

He jolted out of his daze. "Aa, Hinata-chan?"

"Can you pass me that photograph on the desk?"

Turning around, Naruto grabbed the familiar picture of Hinata and himself, taken a few weeks after they had started dating. He hated the way he looked in it; dressing up was never his best thing. He had a sour face of frustration in the picture, and Hinata was blushing while fixing his collar. Why she had chosen that picture to frame, he'd never understand, but he handed it to her nonetheless.

"Why did you want that?"

She smiled lightly and blushed slightly. "I always take it with me. That way you're always with me."

Naruto smiled. "I'm glad you'll be with Sakura-chan. You can look out for one another."

"We will."

"You'll be careful, right? Remember to let everyone else fight and never get yourself stuck in a one-on-one battle!" he stated.

She scowled at him. "Naruto-kun! I can fight!"

"I know." He smiled. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Sakura-chan will be there. She can heal any injury I could receive." Hinata responded, zipping up the bag. "I'll keep an eye on her like you asked."

When she finished zipping the bag, Hinata flung it over her shoulder. She took her kunai holster and attached it to her leg, then adjusted her forehead protector around her forehead instead of her neck. Naruto stood when she turned to head for the door, following her like a love sick puppy as they headed down the stairs and out the door. Even if she wasn't saying so, Naruto knew that she was nervous. He took a hold of her hand and she smiled, allowing him to lead her to the entrance to the village.

* * *

Sakura cursed for the seventh time that night, bandaging up another small wound. Her hands were shaking so much that it was hard to hold her kunai; they kept slipping from her fingers, cutting her, and then landing ungracefully upon the floor. Her vision was blurred from the tears she'd shed in fear; her body was reacting worse than she had anticipated.

She would be alone on a mission with other freshly graduated jounins, preparing to kill yet another high ranking retired ninja. Every step she took in retrieving the needed supplies was forced and unsteady. Sakura couldn't get her body to move in a dignified manner. Why was she so nervous? She wasn't the one doing the assassination this time; it would be a group effort, with Shikamaru in the lead. Hinata would be there to lend support and keep watch, Anko would be the one doing the assassination, and she would merely be back up and medical assistance.

Pulling on her jounin jacket, Sakura turned toward the mirror to re-adjust her outfit. She dropped her weapon bag when she turned toward the mirror, a momentary flash of her body after the last mission infiltrating her mind. Her breathing became ragged and uneven; her heart started racing. The room started to spin and she fell backward, crashing harshly on her wooden floor and smacking her head on the end table across from the mirror. Her hand went straight to her forehead, revealing the blood from the premature injury.

_'Why… why am I having an anxiety attack? I can't stop it…'_

She could hear the increased beating of her heart and feel her blood pulsating in her ears and arms—it hurt. Her movements were shaky but she managed to stand once again and throw a blanket over the mirror. Taking a few deep breaths, she regained her composure and gathered up her supplies again. Her body was still shaking with the increased flow of adrenaline; something she needed later that night, and not right that minute.

Locking the door behind her, Sakura stopped to regain control over her emotions. She needed to do this mission, and she needed to complete it perfectly. There was no way she'd let what happened to her rule her life.

A frown covered her face—she was too late for that, she realized. The moment she donned pants for a mission instead of a skirt, she knew it was controlling her. Sakura let her gaze fall to the road as she continued toward the exit from Konoha. This mission wasn't just a mission for Konoha to her; it was an obstacle she needed to prove to herself that she could still function enough to keep her secret.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Okay everyone. Sorry, I know this chapter doesn't shine like the rest and I also realize there still isn't much romance between Sakura and Sasuke… it will come, you just need patience. I know what I want to have happen, the only issue is I'm not sure how to bring Sasuke's character to the point he's with Sakura enough to get the fluff started. Not only that, Sakura's going in reverse as well. We'll see how this pans out. Thanks for all the reviews! Remember to read and review this chapter as well!

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	4. Chapter 3: Self Decimation, Part 1

**Author's Notes: **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! It warms my heart to see I'm getting a reaction to this story, and that people are, indeed, enjoying it. Of course I do write for myself as well as the fans, it's always the most rewarding when you see others reacting to the story and feeling for the characters.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

**_Chapter 3: Self Decimation, Part 1_**

Standing silently amongst the trees in the pavilion, Sakura kept her eyes fixated on the building Anko had disappeared within moments before. The anxiety she felt for her comrade's safety had her fidgeting; her eyes flew in every direction imaginable, looking for any sort of threat, mostly of the male type. Shikamaru had noticed almost immediately her discomfort and put her in a position where she would not hinder the mission with her restlessness. Internally, she was as thankful for the distance as she was apprehensive.

When Anko's familiar silhouette came into view atop the ancient building, a sigh of relief escaped Sakura. Anko was fine. They would be leaving and she could curl up in her room and regain her control, hiding away from the demons that stalked her shadow.

"Objective complete." Anko voiced over the radio, her enjoyment apparent in the manner of which she spoke. "Much easier than expected."

"Good. We'll meet in the clearing then head back to Konoha from there." Shikamaru stated. "Everyone, head there in groups of two. I'll wait for Anko, and Hinata and Sakura will go on ahead and meet us there. Is that clear?"

Everyone responded with a positive answer before splitting into their subgroups. Hinata met with Sakura seconds after the decision had been made, and now they flew with speed and grace toward the final stop in the clearing.

"Sakura?" Hinata's light voice called. "Is there something wrong?"

Her plastic smile forced its way onto her face. "I'm fine Hinata! It just seems slightly off that we've met no resistance."

"That is strange." Hinata frowned. "We shouldn't let our guard down."

Sakura watched Hinata activated her Byakugan and began searching around for any enemies that were lying in wake. Being on a mission for a week and meeting absolutely no resistance, especially on an A-rank mission, was disturbing and seemingly disastrous. All Sakura's senses were jumbled and dysfunctional since her last mission, but she could tell something was off. The air didn't sit right with her—it was tense and had a strange scent to it, like burning wood.

_'Burning… wood?'_

"Hinata!" Sakura screeched, bounding over to her pale eyed friend, wrapping her arms around the petite girl and sending them flying toward the forest floor.

The canopy of trees they had been traveling through exploded, shreds of explosive notes flying down in embers as the two women hit the dirt. Sakura groaned and rolled off her friend, lying on her back and breathing hard. That had been too close. Her body ached, but she reached into her pack and then turned to look Hinata over and treat her wounds.

Hinata wasn't there.

It took about three seconds for Sakura to realize she had rescued them from the explosive notes only to trap them in a genjutsu. Cursing, she began her hand seals.

"Kai!"

The genjutsu slowly dissipated, and Hinata appeared beside Sakura, lying prostrate on her stomach. There was a possibility of broken bones, so tentatively Sakura flipped the girl onto her back.

"Sakura… what was that?" Hinata questioned. "What happened?"

"Be quiet, I have to administer emergency treatment. Naruto will kill me if I take you home this battered and bruised."

Hinata smiled sadly. "He'll be upset with me if you come home hurt. He's been very worried about you lately."

"I don't see why." Sakura lied, positioning her arms over Hinata's fractured ribs. "I'm perfectly fine."

Silence befell the duo, Sakura slaved over shoving her chakra into Hinata to heal her ribs to the point she could move without much discomfort. When a squirrel would hop in the remnants of the trees, Sakura would jump and her eyes would race around the area.

The fear imbedded in her gaze didn't go unnoticed by her friend. Hinata was worried, but she knew better than to badger Sakura for answers.

"What was that?"

Sakura jumped, breathing fast to calm her racing heart. Shikamaru's voice had been unexpected and had her unconsciously tugging at her sleeves.

"We fell into a double trap." Sakura reported through the radio.

"Are you guys injured?"

That had been Anko.

"I'm fine, and Hinata has a few cracked ribs but otherwise she's okay." Sakura responded.

Static befell the radio before Shikamaru responded. "We're going to round over towards you and then we'll head straight back to Konoha."

"Don't." Hinata stated meekly. "You won't be able to get to us, at least not just the two of you. We're here to lure you through the rest of the traps."

Sakura set her eyes on Hinata, watching how she used the Byakugan to scout around them.

"Can't you instruct them how to get here and where to avoid?" she asked, receiving a negative answer with the shake of her friends head.

"I can't predict how many traps are around here, Shikamaru, but I know there are a lot more." Hinata responded through the radio. "You might as well get another team assembled. If you can, get Kiba-kun. His nose will help in sensing traps."

Hinata sat up and held her ribs, smiling gratefully at Sakura. She smiled back, standing to inspect the area around them while they waited for Shikamaru's judgment. She was not looking forward to spending the night out there alone with an injured person, trapped in myriad of deadly puzzles that only their captors knew how to undo and avoid. They were sitting ducks for whoever decided to attack— they had nowhere to run, no back up to count on, and one slip could cost them their lives.

Sakura couldn't help it. She started shaking again. If those that set the traps were shinobi, there was no telling what they would do when they found two vulnerable kunoichi. There was no way she'd let Hinata endure what happened to her—she'd throw herself in the way first… she'd even let it happen to herself once more just to protect Hinata from that pain. It had taken so long for her to gain the confidence she had—it wasn't going to go to waste over a male's primal urges.

"Are you sure there is absolutely no way for us to get to you with out extra help?" Shikamaru asked, his voice showing apprehension.

"I'm positive." Hinata responded, leaning against stump to pull herself into a standing position. "We're still fully equipped with our weapons, so we'll be capable of fighting and defending ourselves until you get back."

"We…" Sakura hesitated slightly. "We have enough supplies to last three days. After that, we'll need to venture out a bit for food and water."

The next voice they heard was Anko's. "Take shifts sleeping you two. We'll back in about three days."

_'I'm alone… with an injured person, vulnerable to any attack from anyone…'_

Sakura couldn't deny it any longer. She was scared, she wanted to go home. This was a nightmare.

"Hinata, you should rest first. Take a drink of this, and then sleep. It will help your injuries."

--

"What happened?" Naruto exploded, knocking over the paperwork on Tsunade's desk.

As soon as Shikamaru had arrived back with only one other member of his party, Tsunade had feared for the worst. Being trapped alone in a forest in enemy territory was by no means the worst scenario she had envisioned; actually, it had never crossed her mind. She was simply relieved that her pupil and the Hyuuga heir were, indeed, alive and well. When Naruto had come barging into her office, she had already assembled the appropriate team to retrieve the two kunoichi.

She'd have to add one more person to her list; Naruto was too obstinate to sit back while his friends were in danger, let alone his girlfriend and Sakura.

"Naruto, get off my desk, now." She stated through gritted teeth.

"Tsunade-baa-chan, what happened to them?" He persisted, backing off her desk only to slump into a chair directly in front of it. "Why wasn't I put in the team to retrieve them?"

Shikamaru sighed. "You're too troublesome for such a sensitive mission."

"What was that?"

"You heard him, moron." Kiba responded. "You're not suited for this mission."

"And you are, dog boy?"

"Naruto, calm down before I take you out of service permanently!" Tsunade threatened. "Would you sit still and listen for five minutes?"

"Dobe."

Naruto's eyebrow began to twitch. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Sasuke-teme."

"Remind me again why you're all Jounins?" Tsunade sighed, the sarcasm in her remark finally quieting the bickering.

She turned her gaze around the room, inspecting the assembled rookie Jounins. Shikamaru stood on the left, Neji beside him. It hadn't been much of choice—Neji was a required given for this mission, his Byakugan an invaluable tool to search for traps and ambushes. Next was Naruto, sitting in the chair before her, Kiba behind him. Across from Kiba was the final member of the mismatched group, Sasuke. Tsunade's eyes narrowed a bit when she spotted him.

The only people she had called for were Neji and Kiba; Naruto had been an afterthought. She was hoping he would be the one to tell Sasuke and Kakashi what had happened. How Sasuke had discovered the need for able bodied men to retrieve the two kunoichi, she didn't know. It left lingering questions she couldn't ask at the moment; the main priority was to get this mission underway and bring back the injured Hyuuga and Sakura.

_'Are you holding up alright, Sakura? I can only imagine the fears you're having right now…'_

No matter what Tsunade could say to herself, she was worried sick about Sakura. After what happened on her last mission, she could picture how jumpy and ill prepared the girl was for this situation. She could only hope that Sakura had made some smart decisions.

Sasuke noticed her interrogating gaze—it wasn't unexpected. How was the Godaime to know he had been standing out by Konoha's gate when Shikamaru returned without Sakura? He'd come to the office on instinct, needing answers to his questions and the nipping suspicions he'd created. It had been a relief to realize Sakura wasn't dead; but the way she had been acting recently didn't settle well with him—he could only hope she'd overcame her hesitance. In battle, she didn't have the time to look away from her enemy or adjust her clothing. Also, with an injured person by her, long range combat was out of the question.

Without being asked, Sasuke had decided he'd be on the rescue team as well, if only to assure himself his suspicions were there simply to keep him from getting to sleep and not because something was actually wrong. Sasuke hated losing sleep, and he hated it more when it was because he needed to piece together the strange behaviors of his female companion. Sakura's image and actions had been grating at his nerves ever since their first Jounin mission—he'd find his answers sooner as opposed to later.

"Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata are in the forest just outside the Country of Fire. After running into a double trap containing explosive notes and what we're assuming is genjutsu, Hyuuga Hinata was injured. With these said injuries, Haruno Sakura was forced to care for her. It was then discovered that they were surrounded by many other traps, and possibly by an unknown number of enemy shinobi and assailants. It's your job to go, retrieve them, and come back safely. I expect you all to prepare tonight and leave at dawn."

Tsunade took one last glance at the team that had assembled—it was really too many people for such a mission, but she knew she would not be talking Naruto out of going. For some reason, she had the distinct feeling Sasuke would go even if she forbade him to. Sighing, she waved her hand to dismiss them.

The group of 5 disappeared, agreeing to meet at the entrance to the hidden village a half hour before dawn broke.

**Author's Notes: **You all probably do not believe me, but this actually is going to prove crucial if I play my cards right. I promise this wasn't a spur of the moment idea or plot twist. nods See, I'm showing some concern from Sasuke toward Sakura, no matter how minute, it's important. Remember to review!

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	5. Chapter 4: Self Decimation, Part 2

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! Thanks, yet again, for the wonderful amount of reviews and the support you've all been handing out in tenfold. It really helps me out. Only Secret (my wonder, awesome, great beta of marvelous-ness) and I have been doing some plotting behind the scenes for this chapter and a few up coming scenes (can you say SasuSaku moment beyond all moments?) and they're actually slowly getting written out. So never fear! This story has a plot and is actually going somewhere. I'm not sure you'll all like it, but oh well.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 4: Self Decimation, Part 2**_

Clouds dotted the midnight sky, obscuring the slight amount of light Sakura had to work with. Their assumption of needing to protect themselves had been correct—around noon they were ambushed by a small number of skilled shinobi. They were trapped like rats, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. They somehow managed to force the battle on for hours and come out victorious but if another attack came that night, they would be incapable of fighting. Nearly all of their chakra had been used, and their bodies needed time to recuperate.

Hinata was sitting against a tree, her hand covering one of the larger wounds she'd obtained, trying to hold the blood in by applying pressure. Sakura was digging in her pouch for the small vial of medicinal crème before she turned to Hinata and removed the woman's hand. The gash was large and would require stitches if she wasn't careful with the healing.

Positioning her hands above the wound, Sakura watched and concentrated as her green chakra began seeping into her friend. Hinata winced a bit as the tissue began a rushed healing of itself, cells splitting and doubling to increase the healing process. When most of the bleeding had stopped, Sakura began bandaging the cut, her hands skillfully scaling around Hinata's abdomen and behind her back without irritating the injury. Taking a small, damp cloth, she began cleaning the blood that ran from Hinata's hairline, trying to determine where the wound started and if it needed any special care.

"We survived the first day." Hinata stated, her voice weak. "Tomorrow I'll try to keep a better watch."

"It wouldn't have mattered. We can't escape this spot." Came the cynical response.

Frowning, Hinata could do nothing but concede. It was true. It had taken a while for them to discover they were in a genjutsu bound prison. When they'd figured that out, the ambush came. There hadn't been time to try and focus their energy into dispelling the illusion, and now neither had enough chakra to do so. Still, they had made it through the first day and a half.

Shikamaru and Anko should have arrived in Konoha by then, assembling a team to head back.

Sakura handed over a medicine vial to Hinata, silently hoping they could last the rest of the time out there alone.

* * *

They sped through the trees, silently keeping watch of everything around them from the animals to the smallest speck of dust in the air. They were one day away from where the two kunoichi were trapped—one day away from bringing them home safely. Shikamaru had attempted to contact the girls via radio, but they were too far out of range for a signal. There was no guarantee they had their radios on to begin with.

Sasuke had been positioned behind Naruto and in front of Neji, playing the role of back support. It irritated him how he was not in Naruto's position but he wasn't stupid enough to challenge Shikamaru's tactics—even if he didn't understand the reasoning, he knew his mind wasn't as sharp as Shikamaru's and it was pointless to fight over something he didn't understand.

Sometimes, Sasuke wished he'd carried earplugs with him on missions to drown out Naruto's annoying chatter. He had not closed his mouth since they left, muttering things about 'we have to get Hinata back', 'Hinata could be hurt and it's my fault', or 'they could be dead'. The talk was grating on Sasuke's final nerve—he was worried enough as it was (and that was irritating all within itself); he didn't need to listen to Naruto's eternal mantra.

"Hey Shikamaru, we need to stop!" Kiba cried, clinging desperately to a limb behind him.

The group of five halted, Akamaru taking the time to sniff and bark things no one but Kiba could comprehend. Kiba grunted before turning to Neji.

"Can you look straight ahead?"

Neji did as he was asked, Byakugan in place. "Chakra strings. So thin they're invisible to the naked eye."

"So how do we get around them?" Naruto questioned, impatience in his voice. "I don't want to leave Hinata out there all alone longer than I need to. She and Sakura-chan can only do so much by themselves."

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke stated. "We're going to get there. They're strong enough to hold out on their own."

"Sasuke-teme!"

Neji pointed to the right. "They end abruptly on that side. I don't know if there is another trap waiting for us there or not. Our other choice is to go above them."

Shikamaru stopped to think, analyzing the information Neji had given him over Naruto's inane arguments and insults toward Sasuke. They were making this more troublesome than it needed to be by believing they were the only ones with emotional attachments to the girls they were after. Shikamaru was responsible for the predicament in the first place, Kiba was originally a member of Hinata's team and Neji was her cousin. Everyone had a reason for trying as hard as Sasuke and Naruto claimed to be.

They were only holding them back.

How utterly troublesome.

* * *

"I thought they'd be back by now." Hinata stated, taking over Sakura's job and bandaging Sakura's wounds. "It's already been three days."

Leaning her head to the side, Sakura allowed Hinata to place the ointment on the kunai injuries marring her neck. "The traps probably delayed them. Just be happy we broke the genjutsu prison. We can meet up with them halfway."

"This isn't healthy."

"What's not healthy?" she replied, utterly confused.

"The way you've been." Hinata stated, somewhat shy in speaking her mind to her friend. "Naruto-kun was right, you have not been yourself lately."

Glaring, Sakura pulled away from Hinata and continued bandaging her wounds on her own. "You don't know anything. It's none of your concern anyway, so stop prying where you don't belong, Hinata."

Hinata backed away and turned silent. She now understood what Naruto had been telling her about—Sakura definitely wasn't herself. It had her worried. Sakura would easily forget something that had enraged her as opposed to holding a grudge. What could have possibly happened to her? With the way her thoughts were going, Hinata could only hope she was wrong.

"Let's keep going Hinata, before the Country of Earth's shinobi…"

She was cut off when she tripped over a string hidden in the foliage, kunai racing toward her from the trap she'd just set off. Hinata raced into her absolute defense technique that Neji had taught her, while Sakura was stuck to dodging. She blocked and dodged, hopping every which direction until a kunai lodged itself in her thigh. She halted in mid step, forcing herself to protect her vitals with her arms.

Blood splashed out of the kunai wounds in her defensively positioned arms and legs before she fell forward to the ground, rolling onto her back to begin pulling the cursed weapons out of her body. She heard Hinata stopped spinning in her chakra whirlwind and rushed over to help pulling out the daggers. All the sounds and images began blurring together into an intricate pattern of nothing before Sakura's world filled with black.

* * *

They were running late. What should have been a day and a half trip was slowly slinking edging toward two and a half. With all the traps they were forced to evade, more time was spent on treading carefully along the tree line than actually focusing on reaching their goal. No one wanted to stop—they were already over the allotted time frame by a day and were still out of radio contact range. Shikamaru sat against a tree with his hands in the usual position when he was plotting tactics, trying to come up with a plan regarding the kunoichi.

Sakura had told him they only had enough food for three days, meaning they would soon be scavenging away from where they were left. That only complicated matters further- if they couldn't find them, how would they retrieve them? The situation continued spiraling out of the control and left Shikamaru at a loss. The best thing they could do was keep heading northwest and hoped that they ran into the people they were trailing. They were close enough that radio contact would be established after another hour or two of traveling.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh of relief. There was one thing in their favor. If he could instruct the girls to remain where they were and get a detailed description of the place, Neji could use his Byakugan to estimate where they were at. From there everyone could start heading for each other.

Yes. This was what would have to happen.

Removing his hands from their tactical position, he leaned back and cracked open one eye. Everyone around camp was asleep except for himself and the only surviving Uchiha, who was entertaining himself by poking the dying fire between them. Honestly, Shikamaru would have preferred if Sasuke had not been included on this mission—his skills weren't in high demand for a retrieval mission, and his constant brooding only drove the rest of the five man cell into deeper, darker moods. It was distracting.

"Are you done staring at me now?" Sasuke inquired, his voice laced with annoyance.

"I'm trying to figure out why you're here. As troublesome as this mission is, your presence is just one extra person to try and keep alive on my part." Shikamaru responded, not minding if his words were insulting. "The Hokage did not assign you to this mission."

"She never said I couldn't come." Sasuke stated.

Raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms, Shikamaru decided to pry further. "How did you find out about the mission in the first place?"

"I saw you come back with missing members, one of which was my teammate at one point. I came to the office to find out what happened when I saw the dobe heading there." He responded, his voice leaking out the irritation he felt with/of the interrogation.

It wasn't Shikamaru's business as to why he'd decided to go on this mission, with or without Tsunade's permission. He was just there. The most vexing part of the situation was that Sasuke himself wasn't entirely sure why he was there. He had acted purely on instinct and his homicidal, primal urge to protect his remaining important people. Had it been Naruto, he would have done the same thing.

_'I would have… right?'_

Shikamaru shifted and prepared himself to sleep. "Get some rest. You'll be troublesome if you're too tired to keep up."

To appease the search party leader, Sasuke lay down on the small blanket every ninja brought with them. Staring toward the few embers left in the fire, he allowed his thoughts to wander and focus on the issue that had contaminated his mind. Sasuke let out a sadistic grin—he knew something was wrong when thoughts of revenge refused to circulate through his mind because he was too focused on something else. He just needed to figure out what was wrong with Sakura and he could go back to his never ending search for vengeance. It was annoying how she occupied his thoughts so much.

Then again, she always _had_ been annoying.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata walked in silence as both of them focused on their path. Hinata's Byakugan was searching for any possible chakra induced traps while Sakura searched the ground and tree tops for any the smallest inclination of anything out of place that could be used against them. Both of them were skeptical of each muscle movement they made—after three days of almost non stop ambushes and attacks, everything had suddenly become quiet.

They knew better than to believe they were out of the worst of it.

"Sakura, Hinata? Can you hear this?"

Stumbling to push the response button, Hinata took the initiative to start their conversation. "Yeah, we can hear you Shikamaru."

"Hinata? You can hear Hinata?" came Naruto's voice came through the static on Shikamaru's radio. "Shut up Naruto. Where are you two?"

"We're walking back on the same path we took to get here." Sakura answered, her voice aggressive. "What took you so long?"

Turning toward her friend, Hinata gave a disapproving shake of her head. Sakura frowned a bit in apology—she hadn't meant to sound so desperate and enraged, but she was tired and wanted to go home. She knew she was stressed more than Hinata—her mind wouldn't allow her to rest until she got home. Every time she fell asleep, she'd be haunted with images of the assault and needless sacrifice she'd made. Her mind was on pins and needles, causing her to question the motives of every blade of grass or falling leaf.

She hated herself for her weakness. After working so hard to become as strong as she was and have everyone acknowledge her strength, Sakura was headed on a downward spiral toward the weakness that had made her nothing but a burden. Instead of being enraged with the man who brought her to this point, she was depressed over the fact she was allowing herself to be this way. No manner of self control could fix the state she was in or how torn she felt—she was no longer suited for the life of a ninja.

"These traps that were set are very troublesome. Don't think we got as far as we did unscathed."

Static overflowed the radio, sometimes interrupted in what the two girls could make out as Naruto being his usual noisy self. "Hinata, Sakura-chan! You two aren't hurt, are you? Who did it? I'll kick their…"

"Moron… they would have said something if they needed us there in two seconds."

"What was that, Sasuke-teme?"

Hinata let out a small smile. "We're fine Naruto-kun; now give the radio back to Shikamaru so you can find us."

"Okay. Where exactly are you?" the next voice was Shikamaru's, plain as day. "By the sounds of this signal you can't be more than a hundred meters ahead."

Sakura looked around, trying to find a landmark that could help him pinpoint their location. "If it helps any, there are two boulders next to a large, dead coniferous tree."

Silence met her response.

That was when they heard the branch snap.

* * *

"Akamaru has their scent." Kiba informed everyone. "He'll lead us straight to them."

Whimpering ensued from the dog as he began backing up against Kiba's legs, trying to bury himself in the cloth of his pants. He bent down and began to pet him, listening intently to the incoherent sounds his beloved pet made. After shaking his head and telling the dog to compose himself, he turned to the others.

"He sniffed out hostile chakra up ahead, and a lot of blood."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay. A cliffhanger. The chapter turned out longer than normal (even if I'm not happy with it). Thanks for all the reviews though! I never expected to as many as I did. Remember to read and review!

Love and hugs-

Crystal Renee


	6. Chapter 5: Self Abhorrence

**Author's Note:** Yet again, thank you for the reviews! They do mean a lot to me (and I see I have some new reviewers. I guess cliffhangers do bring out more fans, I'll have to start using them more often) and get me going. Especially since I hated the last chapter, the words you sent me were very appreciated—doubled with my beta kicking me in the ass for saying my chapter sucked, you guys helped me. I had this chapter planned within an hour. So, enjoy!

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 5- Self Abhorrence**_

It had not taken long for Kiba's words to sink into everyone's mind. There was a battle going on not very far ahead of them. Sasuke raced onward behind Naruto and in front of Neji, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. Everyone there knew the two kunoichi were at a disadvantage for several reasons which could ultimately spell out their demise. Having been stuck in the forest for three days, they were likely tired and battered from staying up and fending for themselves—not to mention the food and supplies they had would have ran out the day before.

Clearly, in this situation, there was not much of a chance for their survival. Akamaru continued whimpering as they closed in on the battle, his ears pinned back in distaste for the scents that assaulted his nostrils. Shaking his head, Sasuke attempted to clear his thoughts and calm the racing in his heart. It was pointless to get so worried—Sakura was a medic nin and extremely bright, she would definitely keep herself and Hinata alive.

_'As long as that strange behavior she's been having doesn't take full affect during battle,'_ came the cynical voice in his head.

Growling to himself, Sasuke continued rushing along with the rest of the team, waiting patiently for the moment they would come upon the two girls and the battle.

"It's clearly a six on two battle, and the scent of blood is starting to die down. Akamaru doesn't sense anything dead, but all the hostile chakra is still scaring the hell out of him." Kiba stated out of no where. "We're pretty close now."

"Sasuke, Neji, you come in on the left. Kiba take the center, and Naruto you come with me to the right." Shikamaru instructed.

The group dispersed instantaneously, heading toward their objectives. Sasuke kept his pace fast and tolerable—should they actually need to fight, his stamina would be a key factor and he couldn't afford to use much of it while closing in on battle. It was hard to fight instinct, and his instincts wanted him to go as fast as he could force his muscles to take him.

* * *

Sakura bounded backwards, flipping over her hands and landing ungracefully upon her feet, kneeling toward the right. She'd sprained her ankle in the confusion of the ambush, and Hinata suffered a bad blow to her chest area. Shinobi from Earth Country surrounded them, already knowing the places to attack from the days and nights of observation they'd done. Every weak point they had created in the two kunoichi were being mercilessly taken advantage of.

Blood surfaced through Hinata's lips from the excessive blows to her already cracked ribs. Sakura kept an eye on her while parrying an attack toward herself with a replacement technique. She went above and then to the right, trying to focus her chakra into her fist. The shinobi she was aiming for began forming hand seals.

Doing the only thing she could think of, Sakura reached into her kunai holster and threw three towards the ninja below her, two precisely hitting key muscles in his arms that would halt the movement in his hands and the third being a decoy. She landed on a tree branch and turned her attention to Hinata, watching as the girl placed herself into a stance she was unfamiliar with.

Everyone knew Hinata had trained with Neji's help to increase her chakra control and learn some stronger attacks, but with the injuries she already had it had been doubtful she'd be able to execute the attacks well, if at all.

"_Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou_!"

Sakura wanted to scream at Hinata for being so foolish—there was no way she'd be able to fight after using the Divination Field Sixty-Four Strikes attack. Her body was far too battered for something that would put that much strain on her. She could almost hear the muscles tearing under Hinata's skin with each strike she made on her opponent.

Hinata spun and then kicked her opponent away, not stopping in her attack and then landing her strikes upon a second confused enemy. Taking the chance of everyone's attention being on Hinata, Sakura jumped from her position in the tree with her fist drawn out before her. Molding her chakra into her palm she slammed down into the ground, causing it to uproot and erupt around the earth ninjas.

The large piece of soil shot up toward her, pelting her in a rock hard shower. Sakura cursed herself—they were ninja from the Hidden Village of Rock, of course they'd be able to counter an attack like that. Placing her arms in front of her, she blocked the attacks as best she could until they finally died down. The bruises, bumps and lacerations made it difficult to move her out of her position, but she managed to bring her arms down.

A large burst of chakra from her left and harsh winds indicated Hinata had flown into the Hyuuga clan's ultimate defense—the Heavenly Spin. Sakura blocked the wind with her arms once more, knowing Hinata hadn't intended to hurt her while protecting herself from an onslaught of earth-created shuriken. When her winds died down, Hinata began to stumble backwards until she regained her balance.

Just as Sakura had predicted, she wasn't able to fight anymore. She began forming hand seals—she would use the technique Shizune had taught her not a too long ago, to secrete poisonous gases from her mouth. If she was lucky, the enemy would do as she predicted and she could buy enough time to heal some of Hinata's wounds.

"Doku Gasu!"

Leaning back, Sakura opened her mouth and released the poison. Much to her relief, the enemy crowded around one another and created an earth dome around their bodies, obviously planning to wait out the toxins before coming back out to continue the fight. She raced over to Hinata, placing her hands over the girl and performing the emergency healing that was required. The only thing Sakura was worried about with Hinata was the blood leaking from her mouth—she wasn't sure just how badly injured the girl was, but Sakura was willing to guess whatever she did now would increase Hinata's chances of survival.

The trees around them rustled before more earth shinobi appeared and the dome around those already near the two retreated back into the ground. Sakura turned, her eyes flitting over the men that surrounded her. She counted thirteen.

Sakura was battered, bruised, tired, and low on chakra. There were thirteen men around her, six of which she had not previously been fighting with. She could do nothing from this point on that would be of much use other than to protect Hinata from the men before her and hope Shikamaru the rest got there before it was over.

"Look at them, two little bunnies with nowhere to run." A particularly large ninja leered, his dark hair concealing part of his face. "I wonder how much fun we can with them."

_His hands slid down her side. "Hmm… this will be fun. I wonder how much fun I can have before that poison releases its hold on you." Nishi grinned, bringing his mouth close to Sakura's. "Are you scared? Don't worry… just have fun."_

Sakura's eyes went wide and her body began to heave in small, almost unnoticeable convulsions. Overloads of adrenaline pumped through her blood, as she looked around for an escape.

"Katon Housenka no Jutsu!"

A rain of fireballs fell from the tree line, landing directly in front of Sakura and Hinata and forcing the oncoming shinobi back. Sakura used the distraction to regain her composure as she drew some kunai and shuriken from her pouch and aimed them toward the bodies she could spot through the hailing fire. A few of them connected with the enemy, some hitting replications and replacements.

Sakura knew by the attack name and nature that it had been Sasuke who instigated adding himself to fight—that meant the others were there or near. She looked around cautiously, desperately looking for her allies. They remained hidden.

"Over there." Hinata pointed out. "Neji and Sasuke are over there, hiding in the trees."

She nodded curtly and then turned her attention back to the earth shinobi in front of her. They weren't moving. At closer inspection she could see their shadows reaching back into the forest—Shikamaru's Kage Mane no Jutsu. Akamaru wailed slightly from their right, meaning Kiba was ready to pounce should their plan fall to pieces. Hinata smiled in the direction of Shikamaru's location, which told Sakura that Naruto was most likely there.

There was a rustle in the tree above them. Sakura and Hinata looked up to see the large man from before falling toward them, poised for attack with three rocks shaped into various weapons—a sword, a dagger, and a needle. He was closing in fast, aiming behind Sakura toward Hinata.

Kiba flew out of the right, Naruto came from the front.

They wouldn't be fast enough.

Sakura launched her body overtop of Hinata, all three stone-made weapons piercing into her back. She cried out in pain but held on tight to the tree Hinata was backed up against to keep herself upright. She heard the grunts from the man on top of her as he strained to force his weapons deeper into her body.

The battle that raged on above her never registered in Sakura's mind. She felt dizzy before she finally collapsed, completely unconscious.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Sakura moved slightly next to the fire. How could she have been so stupid? She could have grabbed Hinata and rolled out of the way, but instead she almost lost her life trying to take the blow instead. He had taken it upon himself to stay up and watch over her while the rest of the team slept, covering up for it by saying he'd take watch that night.

He had to admit though, relief had washed over him with Hinata said the injuries she sustained weren't life threatening. Apparently, stone weapons were much to dull to pierce her body enough to destroy internal organs; and it took a lot of force to get them past the skin. All in all, Sakura had been extraordinarily lucky.

The thing that bothered Sasuke the most was her hesitance. Sakura had been fighting very well—spectacularly, if he had to actually give it a name—before she finally allowed herself to be overcome with fear. Neji and Sasuke had decided not to attack unless they were needed for as long as they could get away with it—Sakura had prompted an immediate, protective attack from him. Neji hadn't been too happy that Sasuke gave away their position, but it was a good thing he had. Sakura regained her bearing and was fighting again.

A small voice in the back of his head kept alerting him to Sakura's recent behavior fluctuations. Hinata told them of how jumpy and temperamental she had been during their time alone in the forest. It was hard to admit that he was actually worried about her; Sasuke preferred the word 'curious' as to her new insecurities and habits. They had occurred out of the blue— sudden changes that had no apparent reason for surfacing.

It annoyed him how much something that should have an obvious answer was eluding him and nesting in his mind all hours of the day. Sasuke was tired of being so curious and suspicious of Sakura's new actions and finding himself impulsively doing things he didn't want to do.

Sasuke looked down from his perch in the tree as his pink haired teammate began to stir and sit up, despite her pain. Blood was seeping through her jacket again, meaning her wounds had reopened. An eyebrow on his face rose when he saw her slip the jacket off, awkwardly placing her palm over the bleeding wound, trying to heal them with her limited amount of green chakra. He shook his head; there was no way she could heal that wound, no matter how hard she tried. It was in an awkward place and her chakra was close to being depleted.

He also knew she hadn't trained long enough with Tsunade to learn the Ninpo Sozo Saise (Genesis of Rebirth) technique. Sakura had mentioned the Godaime was hesitant in teaching it to her. That meant for the moment, Sakura was stuck to simply ointment and bandages, which was something she would have trouble administering to herself. Considering everyone else was asleep, that left him to helping her.

_'Great…'_

Sasuke kept his eyes on her as she slipped her top off and pulled the bandages off her wounds. She winced when they stuck to her wounds and pulled at the slowly forming scabs.

"Sakura..." he stated when he appeared behind her.

She scrambled to pull her top back over her skin, grabbing at the cloth as roughly and aggravating her injuries. Sasuke knelt behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to freeze instantly. Sakura's breathing became labored, her hands slipping off her shirt and falling limply at her sides as her muscles tensed and her heart raced.

He frowned at her reaction. "Hand me the ointment. It's pointless for you to do this yourself, you're only going to put more strain on the wounds and we can't have you slowing us down."

When the ointment didn't come to his hands, Sasuke huffed and reached around her to grab the container. He unscrewed the lid and took some of the cool crème into his hand before lightly applying it to the wound that had opened on her back. Sakura flinched, slowly edging herself away from his touch.

"Relax your muscles, Sakura."

"I can do this on my own." She stated, her voice shaking and barely above a whisper.

Sasuke shook his head. "How are you supposed to see wounds on your back, let alone maneuver well enough to reach them?"

Her breathing remained hard as Sasuke continued to move his hands over her exposed flesh. Images flashed through Sakura's mind, phantom pains and sensations of Nishi's hands over her thighs and up her back forcing her to bend forward slightly and clamp her hands onto her shoulders.

_Nishi yanked the frustrating shirt off Sakura's body, hungrily taking her breasts into his hands as he straddled her. It was very convenient that she was paralyzed—that meant she couldn't fight him. Pulling her into a sitting position, he let his hands ghost over her back and then down to her skirt, plunging inside of it as she whimpered._

_"Stop it…"_

_"You're the one who agreed to it, to help your comrades." He stated, pulling his face back so he could face her. "And I'm going to enjoy myself."_

"Stop it!" Sakura cried, pulling away from Sasuke and using her arms to keep her shirt up. "Give me the ointment and the bandages! I can do this on my own!"

Sasuke was too shocked to object as she tore the medicinal crème from his hands and stomped off. The fear and sadness he'd seen in her eyes haunted him. What was she so upset about? He was trying to help her—Sasuke had assumed she would be thankful for that. Sakura was proving more and more that something was indeed very wrong with her.

Why had she looked at him as if he'd somehow betrayed her?

* * *

Sakura stumbled toward the spring Hinata had taken her to earlier to clean their wounds. Sasuke and Naruto had dropped the two girls off and left them there to bathe—Sakura remember she had woken up on Sasuke's back. It had been hard to resist the urge to claw at him so she could get away.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she stripped and plopped herself back into the warm water, concealing her body under the murky water. The memories were too vivid—Sasuke had touched her in the same manner as Nishi, the same haunting gentle motions. Her heart was still beating roughly against her ribcage.

She couldn't face him—what if he did the same thing to her?

_'Sasuke-kun… would you rape me, too? Would any of the men supposedly protecting me now try to do the same thing? I can't trust anyone…'_

Crying, she found a few leaves and used them to scrub at her skin, their texture rough and somewhat comforting. If she could remove the layer of skin that Nishi had touched, maybe she could cleanse herself of the dirtiness she felt.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **This chapter was supposed to have much more substance to it but, me being me, decided to shove the rest of this chapter's original point into the next one. nods I hope you all don't mind! Remember to review!

Love and hugs-

Crystal Renee


	7. Chapter 6: Self Condemnation

**Author's Notes: **Hiya! Wow. I'm already on chapter six! I can't believe I've already written this much—I'm very happy with how well this story is going. It's all thanks to you guys, my reviewers! We're closing in on 100 reviews—I would love you guys forever if we could reach that mark soon! Thanks guys! And Only Secret—you're the best freaking beta ever. I know most of these chapters would be nowhere if it weren't for your help! Also, c.pham… I could have sworn that was what I put up! I think when I was putting the breaks in my chapter, the cursor accidentally popped up in weird places and I might have deleted what I was writing with that. Thanks for the notice—that's embarrassing, considering I made sure I spelled the jutsu's right by going to a website and copy/pasting the names.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 6: Self Condemnation**_

The gate was finally in view. After six days stuck in a forest full of deadly traps and deceptive enemies, it was a relief. Sakura could feel the pent up stress and fear slowly sliding off her body and into the ground. She was home, she was safe… no one could hurt her within the walls of Konoha. It surprised her how she was now keenly aware of every ANBU member prowling on the rooftops—it made her feel secure.

Shikamaru's orders were for everyone to check into Konoha hospital before heading home, something Sakura found comforting. Most of her time was spent in the hospital, and she knew the security system like the back of her hand. She would be even safer inside of the hospital. Once they cleared the gates and entered the village, she felt a hand grip her arm, pulling her away from the team and behind a building. Her heart pounded inside her chest and her breathing ceased until she was turned.

It was only Sasuke.

Without much thought, Sakura whipped her arm out of his grasp and held it close to her chest, averting her gaze to the dirt on the street. She could feel his eyes on her, but she couldn't decipher if he was angry or if it was something else.

_'No!'_ Sakura chastised herself._ 'I'm safe in Konoha!'_

"You were very stupid."

She winced at the insult, although she wasn't sure what he was talking about.

Sasuke eyed her reactions, glowering with distaste and anger. He wouldn't deny it—he was completely enraged with her, and he had been ever since she'd taken those hits for Hinata. The way she filled his thoughts and withdrew concern from him… he wanted to pull his hair out. She was never _this_ annoying, this irritating or this frustrating… and he couldn't bring himself to say so out loud.

That's what really scared him, the way he was forced to stop and think before he spoke.

"You know there were other ways to protect Hinata as opposed to using your body as a shield." He reprimanded. "Why didn't you think? You could have died out there, Sakura! Use your head, you're supposed to be the smartest member of our team."

She didn't bother to apologize.

"One day we won't be able to protect you. Stop being so hesitant, it's annoying and eventually will cost you your life. If Jounin level missions are hard for you, then just quit being a kunoichi. Naruto and I shouldn't be forced to come after you." Sasuke continued, unable to stop himself. "You're just proving how weak you really are."

Sakura looked up at him, the rage in his gaze causing her to take a few steps backward. She knew he was right—she was weak, so weak and stupid that she fell for a hollow threat and ended up giving her body to someone thinking it would protect the people who meant the most to her. Just as he was saying, she was worthless as a ninja… so why was she still playing the part? Lying to everyone, and to herself, was only placing everyone else in danger.

Suddenly, she felt dirtier than before.

* * *

Sakura walked down the street, staring toward the ground. It hadn't taken long for Sasuke and herself to catch up again. Naruto walkednext to Hinata, his face grim and his steps calculated. Behind him were Neji and Kiba. Shikamaru walked behind them, planning to wait while Tsunade estimated the injuries that had befallen his team. Sasuke walked behind him, hands in his pockets and intending to go directly home despite Shikamaru's orders to head to the hospital. 

"Sakura!" a high pitched voice called.

"Oi, Ino-chan." she smiled lightly, drawing her gaze from the floor and toward her friend. "What brings you here?"

"I came to steal Sasuke-kun from you!" her voice stated, obviously enchanted with her own joking answer-- everyone knew she was over Sasuke, it was just an inside joke between herself and Sakura.

Spinning on her heel, Sakura split away from the group and headed toward her apartment—defying orders. She couldn't stand being around them anymore… her body and mind were jumbled, screaming at her to retreat somewhere she'd be safe.

"Go ahead Ino... he's all yours. You can have him."

Ino wanted to retort, but Sakura was already gone. She fell into a calculating expression before turning to head back into the Yamanaka flower shop. Sasuke's glare caused her to stop in mid step; he had heard the exchange as well. Ino nodded, reading his thoughts by his simple expression- He wasn't upset with her.

Something was wrong with Sakura. The day she gave up on Sasuke was the day hell froze over.

* * *

"You should have been easier on her." 

Sasuke halted in his trek, turning on a dime to face the person talking to him. Needless to say, the moment he caught glimpse of the man who was once his sensei with his forehead protector pulled up, he was surprised. It was obvious he had just recently returned from a mission, so that eased some of Sasuke's anxiety of the anger radiating off Kakashi. Watching as the leaf in crested band fell into place over his Sharingan eye once more, Sasuke lost his rigid poise and waited for an explanation to his chastisement.

"I wasn't being harsh. I've always spoken to Sakura like that when she's not performing her part, and you've never complained before."

Hands in pockets, Sasuke waited for a response.

Kakashi pushed himself off the wall to the restaurant he had been leaning on, taking a few steps closer. "Maybe, but she was never in the position she is in now."

"What do you mean?" he inquired, an eyebrow rising in question.

"You'll know when she wants you to, Sasuke." Kakashi responded. "Start watching how you treat her and how you speak to her. She's frail… more so than I thought, if she's giving you up to Ino and can't perform correctly during missions."

An internal grin flew into Kakashi's mind the moment Sasuke showed some alarmed irritation—the boy never did like being the last to know things.

"What do you know that I don't?"

Kakashi shook his head. "She doesn't know that I know yet. I'm sure you've noticed some changes… aren't you curious as to the cause?"

"It's not any of my business." Sasuke responded, turning his head away.

_'… but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop before I find out.'_

"You want to know, don't you?" the interrogation continued. "I'll talk to her and make sure she knows you didn't mean any harm."

"Hn, don't waste your breath. It may be better this way."

Kakashi smirked. "Then I guess it's your treat for buying ramen, then? I do believe... after every mission, you three take turns buying the meal? Seems to me there have been far too many times it was only Naruto and yourself. You can't tell me you'd choose Naruto's company over hers."

"Stop trying to put me on a guilt trip." Sasuke grumbled. "If you wanted me to apologize, you should have just said it."

"I don't." he reasoned. "I'm going to talk to her. Don't act before you know all the facts and the situation—that's a rule of the shinobi… it's funny how someone like yourself, a prodigy, has yet to learn how to follow it, Sasuke. I'm not so sure you'll take what she has to say, when she says it, very well."

He met Kakashi with a glare. "There's nothing that could faze me when it comes to her. She's just my teammate."

"She's your friend, Sasuke… and you make me wonder, with how defensive you get, if that's all she is to you."

"Hn."

Sasuke stomped off, irritated with his teacher, angry with Sakura, and very willing to take it out on the next person he'd be with. Kakashi watched him walk away, his suspicions confirmed. It was time he told Sakura what he knew.

* * *

Sakura scrubbed relentlessly at her skin, refusing to stop until it became a rash and bled. His scent was back. The water in her shower went cold hours ago. She ran out of soap almost a half hour earlier, but Sakura continued scrubbing with a scrub-brush she found beneath her bathroom sink. The pain was drawing her away from what happened. 

It wasn't until she noticed the tub was turning pink that she stopped. Most of her wounds had reopened in the process of scrubbing, the blood running in rivulets with the ice cold water. Heaving a sigh and wiping at the tears on her face, Sakura shuffled out of the shower, dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and pants, then filed out into her kitchen. She was drained—she needed something to drink.

Going past the juice and milk, Sakura pulled out a large bottle of sake—something she had received as a housewarming gift— and inspected it. She had told everyone she'd wait to drink it until she was 20, but temptation and circumstance spoke differently. Without taking the time to contemplate her motives, she began turning toward the cupboards in search of a glass.

"Sakura… put the sake away."

A loud crash was heard as the bottle slipped from her grasp and shattered on the kitchen floor. Sakura could feel her body begin to fall into small, internal convulsions from fear. Desperately trying to control her reaction, she held onto the counter and forced herself to spin around and face her assailant.

Kakashi smiled lightly as she turned, hoping the familiar look would ease the chill that shot through the room the moment he spoke. The fear in her eyes drew pity from him, instilling natural impulses to advance and comfort. It took a lot out of him to stay standing nonchalantly in the doorway to the kitchen, his revealed eye crinkled with the plastered grin. He hadn't expected such a violent reaction simply from hearing a male voice—she was doing worse than he expected.

"Ka… Kakashi-sensei? How did you get in my apartment?" she stuttered, turning her face toward the floor before finishing her turn and land roughly against the wooden counter behind her. "I didn't know you had a key…"

He pouted a bit. "Would you believe me if I said the landlord let me come in when I said I was your uncle?"

A small grin escaped her lips as the adrenaline in her body calmed down. Relieved that his attempt at bringing out familiar things she was comfortable with was calming her down, Kakashi leaned on the doorframe. He waited to see if she'd notice he hadn't popped out Icha Icha Paradise, if she realized he was purposely keeping his distance from her, or if she knew he had planned this visit. She was calming down, meaning she, more than likely, was taking comfort in these facts if she observed them.

"You're pretty jumpy. I'm guessing your mission was pretty bad." He noted. "Would like help cleaning that sake up?"

Sakura turned her eyes in the direction Kakashi indicated. The sake had spread across most of left side of the kitchen, large fragments of the bottle littered in it and floating like boats. With a sigh she opened a drawer, pulling out towels and tossing them onto the mess. Taking this as a yes, Kakashi drew in closer and dropped to the floor, mopping up the alcohol. His movements were methodical and slow, signaling he was in no hurry

Depositing the soiled towels into her kitchen sink, he decided to continue with the reason he'd come in the first place.

"Sakura… I didn't know you took the mission so hard."

She turned to face him. "Huh? I always take my missions seriously. This was a bad mission… of course I'm going to take it hard. It was my fault."

"I'm not talking about this mission." Kakashi reasoned. "I'm talking about your assassination mission."

"I… it was my first assassination. I'm not used to killing like that." She answered, her body frozen in place. "I'll get over it."

He sighed, and moved away from Sakura, stopping when he was halfway across the room and turning back toward her. "I know what happened in there. I got to the window right after you killed him… I'm sorry I didn't make it to you sooner."

The shaking started again, images racing through Sakura's mind. Kakashi watched as she backed away into the wall, her eyes racing around the room, trying vainly to focus on anything that could draw her away form the situation. Her hands held her cheeks, her tears racing around the fingers as they fell.

"What happened in there, Sakura?" Kakashi questioned, his voice barely above a whisper. "How did it…?"

"I didn't have a choice!" she cried. "He said his men were waiting for the call to kill Naruto and Sasuke, and if I did what he said then he'd let them live! I did what I had to in order to save everyone! Even if I had said no… when I fought him, I landed on the assassination needle and got enough of the poison in my body to paralyze me. I couldn't fight him off… he would have had his way with me anyway. But I agreed! I agreed to it, Kakashi-sensei, because I thought the rest of you needed my help!"

He watched from across the room, trying to figure out if he should be angry at the manipulation used against Sakura or feel sorrow and pride for the distance she was willing to go to protect her comrades. She slid down the wall, covering her head with her arms and drawing her knees toward her chin. Sobbing and stuttering through her hyperventilation, Sakura continued; her self loathing and disappointment permeated through her words.

"He tricked me! I gave myself away for nothing. Everyone was fine when I was done!"

Kakashi lowered his gaze toward the floor. "Sakura… if you were paralyzed… even if you had said no, he would have done something."

"I don't want everyone to worry about me. I know I'm letting this affect me… I'm trying not to. Still… I make stupid mistakes and…"

Kakashi coughed to interrupt her. "Sakura, you're reacting normally. Don't listen to what Sasuke says… he's frustrated because he's used to protecting you as Team 7. Now that you're jounin, he can't watch over you like he usually does. Naruto's the same way… I've heard them discussing you on more than one occasion."

His response was met with silence, which prompted him to look at Sakura. She had calmed down considerably, her sobbing quieting and her eyes focus more on the floor in front of her instead of tightly closed. That was a good sign, he supposed.

"You need to tell them, you know."

"What should I do, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura wept, pulling her knees closer to her face. "I can't face him... neither Naruto nor Sasuke..."

Kakashi sighed, pulling a hand through his silver hair. "They need to know what happened, Sakura. Even if you're separated, you are still a team of three."

"I don't want them to see me as weak as they used to."

"They won't see you as weak. If anything, they may become more protective of you around other men." Kakashi tried to explain. "You will still be the same Sakura to them. Naruto, and even Sasuke, care about you deeply."

"But they'll be afraid to be natural around me. They'll think I'm frail." she stated, burying her face in her knees. "I... don't want them to feel like they need to be different around me."

"Would you rather I told them?"

Sakura's head popped up, looking at her teacher with blank eyes. "You already told Tsunade-shishou, didn't you?"

He nodded.

"I... I don't want them to feel like they need to do me any favors."

"Sakura..." Kakashi's voice was smooth and gentle, reassuring her of his intentions. "I can tell Naruto. But you need to tell Sasuke on your own."

"What... why?"

"Because he's the one who's going to be affected by it the most." came the response. "You may not notice it, but he's been keeping an extra careful eye on you ever since we came back from that mission. He has noticed your changes more than anyone else. There is a reason behind that, and I'm sure even he isn't sure what it is."

"Do... you think it will scare him away?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Sasuke's too stubborn. If anything, he'll try to protect you better and berate himself for letting it happen."

Sakura turned away from Kakashi. "I… alright… I'll try."

* * *

**  
Author's Notes: **Well… the end of the chapter and the plugging in of a scene I had previously written. What do you all think of this chapter? Kakashi hasn't been in the story in quite a while…and now you see the reason he knew what happened to Sakura (see, it did have a reason for being written!). Remember to read and review, everyone! Also, so much excitement—I'm part of FIVE C2's now with this story! The funny thing is… one of them is an anti-Sakura C2. shrugs 

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	8. Chapter 7: Self Incapacitation

**Authors Note**: Wow! I didn't mean 100 reviews by the next chapter, you guys, I meant over all! Thanks for the support and letting me know you're all out there! I'm sorry if this chapter takes forever to reach you guys—my beta and I are having some communicational issues. You're all going to have to forgive me—I usually plan with my beta… and now we are at a lack of communicational options. And as an extra note **THIS IS MY UPDATED VERSION OF THE CHAPTER.** For some reason, my computer has been being gay and wouldn't let me upload the actual saved and corrected version of this chapter. Needless to say, I thought I uploaded the actual chaptered the first time and I obviously didn't. Thanks to everyone who pointed that out to me. This is the beta-ed version.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 7: Self Incapacitation**_

Naruto watched the swirling in his bowl of ramen while Kakashi explained Sakura's strange behavior. The story made him sick, and he pushed the sacred bowl away in absolute disgust. His body lost all appetite and urged him to give back that which he had previously eaten. It defied all logic for this to happen to someone he knew and cared for—it was statistically inaccurate.

"In the end, Naruto… she was basically raped. Even if she had refused, Nishi would have still taken her in that paralyzed state." Kakashi finished.

He frowned, his eyes remaining downcast. "She gave everything away for Sasuke-teme and me… she tried to protect us. Sakura-chan never protected us before… I can't imagine what she felt when she saw we were fine and waiting for her the whole the time. It's not fair."

"No, it's not." Kakashi responded lightly. "I'd like it if you didn't speak to Sasuke about this, Naruto… Sakura needs to tell him herself."

"Why? Sasuke-teme would only make her feel worse by telling her she was weak or something wrong and stupid like that." Naruto countered.

Kakashi sighed. "Maybe… but it would be better that way, even if it sounds strange."

"How the hell is Sasuke-teme making Sakura-chan cry going to be good in any sense?" he cried, obviously unhappy with the thought. "He's always made her cry!"

"Exactly the point."

Confusion littered Naruto's face, momentarily masking the sorrow that filled his eyes during the discussion. Had his sensei gone mad? In Sakura's state, any insult, no matter how minor… he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't get it." He stated, but nodding in his decision. "That's the biggest load of crap you've ever said, Kakashi-sensei."

"The point is, it would be something Sakura was used to, something normal. That's what she needs right now, to feel safe. People feel safe when they're surrounded by an atmosphere they're used to. Sasuke's insults just happen to be a part of that."

An eyebrow rose on Naruto's face. "So him hurting her is supposed to make her safe?"

"Well… in theory, it should." He replied. "Isn't Sasuke supposed to come eat ramen with you today?"

"Kakashi-sensei, I lost my appetite."

* * *

Tension settled in the night air while Naruto traveled down the street toward Hinata's apartment. The building style was much like the ancient architecture of Japan, and obviously quite expensive. This move was being called "training" for the Hyuuga heir, but Naruto knew better. Hinata just needed to get away, and that was her escape.

At the moment, Naruto was going there to escape his own despair. He found it funny how he retreated to Hinata for protection, but it didn't matter anymore. She was his first instinct; Hinata was calm, quiet, and nurturing… she'd know what to do in this situation.

Truth be told, Naruto was scared. He wasn't sure how he should act when he saw Sakura again, or how he'd be able to hide what happened from Sasuke. The bastard deserved to know more than anyone else. Even if the world was blind and ignorant to the fact, Naruto knew and understood his best friend and rival. Sasuke had a soft spot for Sakura. It had been the focal point to most of Naruto's taunts and jokes toward his dark haired counterpart recently; they stirred strange reactions that made him blissfully suspicious. It also made him nervous—he wouldn't want to face Sasuke's wrath when the truth came out.

Hinata was waiting for him at the door when he walked in, enveloping him in a hug as if she could sense the confusion and sorrow radiating of his body. Despite the pain irritating her wounds, she held onto him until he melted into her and lost the rigid tension that encompassed his usually flexible spirit. They sat together on the floor, silence floating in the air until Naruto opened his eyes and stared toward the floor, an unfamiliar sling of tears finding their way out.

"Naruto-kun…"

He shook his head, and then leaned it back against the wall so he was facing the ceiling. "I found out why Sakura-chan is acting so weird."

Keeping her light gaze on his upturned face, Hinata waited for Naruto to elaborate. She couldn't remember the last time she had seem him disturbed to the point of tears—she couldn't remember ever seeing him cry. It worried her that the man who had always been so strong was suddenly breaking down and retreating toward her for sufficient comfort, when it was she who always looked to him for strength. Ironic as it was, she pushed the doubts aside and continued to focus on Naruto.

"Our first mission as jounin was an assassination—Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei and I went together. Tsunade-baachan pre-determined that Sakura would perform the assassination, Kakashi-sensei would be her back up, while Sasuke and I would secure the perimeter." He stated, turning his face toward his hand, tightly holding onto Hinata's. "Some things happened, and she was threatened with my life and Sasuke's to do her targets bidding—she was poisoned and paralyzed, so no matter if she agreed or not… Hinata…"

She nodded, her voice strangely calm. "I know where you're going—she served her purpose as a kunoichi to the end, and gave up everything."

His tears kept falling. "Sasuke and I never needed help. We were waiting for her when she came out."

She nodded again.

"We can't tell Sasuke." He added as an after thought.

* * *

Tsunade, being Hokage, expected mornings where she'd be irritated, disappointed and shocked. She expected to be pushed off her kind edge and into the abyss of temper flaring rage. It came with the job of being responsible for a village. This morning, however, was not one she expected. To have her door timidly opened and almost silently shut while she slept on her desk was not normal—people enjoyed slamming and smashing their way into her office.

It had been then Tsunade realized her day was spiraling downhill, and the news she was about to receive was going to break her heart.

"You're doing what?" Tsunade screamed, slamming her hands down onto her desk. "Sakura!"

"It's pointless." She stated.

"No! You can't be serious!"

"What good am I? You know what happened, and being a medical ninja, you understand the way a human mind works. I'm no longer a kunoichi; I'm just an extra body that gets in the way. A break isn't going to help this." Sakura stated calmly. "Here."

Shaking her head vehemently, Tsunade sat back in her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I refuse to accept those reasons or your resignation. You have too bright of a future… I am not letting you give that up, Sakura. I am not going to let you resign from being a ninja!"

"Even if you don't take them, the moment I leave them with you and walk out of this room is the moment I become a citizen of Konoha."

Reaching into her pocket, Sakura pulled out her headband emblazoned with the symbol of the hidden leaf village. Her fingers traced the groves and dents marring the once flawless metal, the rough cloth of the ties encircling her fingers. Each snag and scratch was a memory of battle, a souvenir of fighting to the death in order to protect the place she lived in and the secrets it held.

She set it atop her jounin jacket, placing both objects on Tsunade's desk. One by one she returned the possessions that identified her as a kunoichi of Konoha on the desk of her mentor—her shuriken, kunai, medical scrolls and poisons all filling up space in a neat array.

"This isn't going to solve a thing for you. You can't erase the knowledge you have as a ninja here, Sakura."

"I wouldn't want to… but I am no longer one. Goodbye, Tsunade-shishou."

Turning on her heel, Sakura walked out of the room, traveling past Shizun and ignoring the disapproval and shock imbedded on her face.. It had been her decision, and the only thought out one Sakura believed she had made in the past three weeks. As of that moment, Haruno Sakura was to disappear into the flow of society and become a nobody.

It was the only way she could assure that her mistakes didn't hurt those around her.

* * *

One of Kakashi's worst decisions was to tell his team to commence training before Sakura arrived. Team 7 had agreed to train together once a week (so long as missions didn't hinder their plans), and for the first time, Sakura was late. As always, it was expected for their infamous former sensei to be late, hours so at that. It was not like Sakura to be late.

To appease his disgruntled students, he proposed they begin training without Sakura and wait for her to arrive. Naruto's first instinct had been to complain and moan about how she'd be upset if they started without her; Sasuke simply threw a punch toward Naruto to start the match. The viciousness in the punch betrayed his usually stoic manner—there was pent up frustration in the way his arm moved and how easily it was evaded.

When scrutinized, Kakashi noticed that neither boy was sparring like they usually did. Naruto simply dodged and refused to take an offensive, while Sasuke continued to punch and kick like it would relieve whatever that was bothering him. He sighed—even after all these years, they were just as obvious as they were mysterious. Kakashi couldn't blame them. Sakura was never late for training, so their fears and maliciously concealed concerns were well justified.

A chirping sound averted his attention to the branch above him, where a small bluebird stood, a message attached to its leg with the words "From the Godaime" on it. Raising his only uncovered eyebrow in suspicion, Kakashi stood up and took a hold of the parchment, unrolling it as the bird flew off.

When he read the contents of the note, a solemn expression crossed his face.

_'Sakura… what have you done?'_

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Yup. I'm ending it here. I know you all waited for a large update, but I had such a hard time planning this out without my beta it didn't exactly work out quite as well. I'm going to try and get the next chapter out sooner.

Love and hugs-

Crystal Renee


	9. Chapter 8: Self Eviction

**Author's Notes:** Oh my goodness… talk about a lag in updating! I'm afraid to say that it may be this way for a while longer; school is really biting at me. As much as I love Sasuke and Sakura, they do have to take a backseat to my schooling. But fear not, I do plan on finishing this story. I still have pre-planned scenes that need to develop! Thank you everyone who has stuck by and patiently awaited the new installment. **IMPORTANT NOTICE:** I have lost contact with my original beta, Only Secret. I've been scouring around for a new one. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Brandeis1 beta read this chapter for me. I hope it's still up to your expectations.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 8: Self Eviction**_

"Sakura-chan did what?" Naruto screamed, his face falling into a familiar shock-induced expression. "She loves being a ninja!"

His only exposed eye showing his own disappointment, Kakashi attempted to reason with him. "Not anymore, it seems."

"This isn't like Sakura."

Turning to face his other former pupil, Kakashi tried to dig through Sasuke's well developed ice wall. Those were the first words he'd spoken since the letter had been handed to Naruto to be read aloud ten minutes earlier. The noise that erupted from Naruto was deafening in and of itself, but Sasuke was unusually quiet. It was normal for him to spout his distaste or disgust at Sakura's weakness or lack of will, but he hadn't made a single stab at the girl.

"I'm sure Sakura has her reasons for resigning from being a kunoichi." Kakashi reasoned.

"Why didn't she tell us first, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto demanded, his voice raising an octave in his rage.

He sighed and shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Naruto slammed a fist into the closest tree he could find. "I'm going to talk to her! Sakura-chan has never been a quitter, she's worked so hard to get where she is now, why would she suddenly…"

"I'll talk to her." Sasuke stated out of the blue, pushing himself off the oak he'd been leaning against. "You're not calm enough, dobe."

"Sasuke-teme, you'll just make her feel bad!"

Kakashi watched the daggers flying from Sasuke's eyes in Naruto's direction. "Maybe it's better for Sasuke to talk to her, Naruto."

"She needs to be talked out of this!" he whined. "He's just going to convince her it's a good thing she quit!"

"That's why she didn't tell us, she didn't want you to change her mind. Haven't you ever noticed how she hates your noble speeches?" Sasuke stated.

With those words, he departed from the training field, hopping from limb to limb in the direction of Sakura's apartment.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto began. "Do you think this is because she was raped?"

He sighed, acknowledging that Naruto had guessed the same as he had.

"It's hard hiding this from Sasuke-teme."

Kakashi turned toward the direction Sasuke was traveling. "He'll find out soon enough, Naruto."

* * *

Sakura turned around in her room, a large cloth bag in her hands. Books, scrolls, kunai, needles, and other things were sprawled about, almost laughing at her. She started tossing her old ninja attire into the bag, shoving them deep down in a fit of rage. The decision she made was the correct one; now all she had to do was erase the links to her kunoichi past. Everything she'd documented through her years as a ninja found itself placed in her bag.

Walking across her room to the oak desk, she pulled open a drawer. Inside were photographs from Team Seven and others she had snapped of her friends; she tossed them into the rough burlap. Each picture both contradicted and supported her decision. One by one they fluttered atop the clothes and books, until she finally shut the drawer and headed toward another.

A few more books and scrolls fell out, along with a Konoha headband. Sakura stopped and lifted it up, her finger running across the deeply etched scratch across Konoha's insignia. It's was Sasuke's; Naruto gave it to her before he left to train with Jiraiya as a promise that they would train to find him. When she tried to return it to him, Sasuke had pushed it back toward her and said he'd just get a new one. He'd wanted a fresh start, and that included a new headband.

Even now she didn't understand why she hadn't just thrown it away.

"Sakura…"

She turned toward her balcony, where Sasuke stood against the opened sliding glass door. They stared at each other for a while, contemplating who would make the next move; in the end it was Sasuke. Stepping inside the room, he lifted the headband in her hands and dropped it into her bag. Sakura withheld the urge to pull it back out.

"You quit."

It was a simple statement, two words long with no real meaning other than a single failure. Sasuke always had a way of saying the smallest sentences that hurt Sakura the most; this was one of them. She smiled a little and turned her head toward the floor, distracting herself with the other things she needed to throw away. It was best to let his belittling be over before she spoke.

"Why?" he questioned.

Shocked that he had asked, Sakura stopped her movements and drew her hand back toward her chest. Now wasn't the time to tell him the truth; she needed to come up with a reason he'd accept.

She smiled again, and with her eyes closed, she said, "It's like you always said Sasuke… all I did was get in the way."

"It never stopped you before… that's why I respected you, the same way I respect Naruto." Sasuke stated. "I know that's not the reason you resigned."

"I don't want to talk about it. You should be happy; it's just one less person to hold you back."

Sakura walked past him and closed the window, then stepped toward her bed to shove the remaining things into the burlap and hefted it over her shoulder. Sasuke remained next to the desk, watching her movements and mannerisms. It was unsettling and caused her to twitch nervously.

"Hesitation… giving up… unnecessary self endangerment… nervousness… you haven't been yourself Sakura."

"I grew up and stopped playing in fairy tales. I'm not a heroine… I should stop trying."

He glowered. "Everyone has noticed this. Everyone else knows something I don't… what happened to you?"

She dropped the bag, her eyes going directly toward the floor and her arms around her body. Fighting to hold in her tears, Sakura sat herself down on the bed and started shaking. The fight within her body to keep herself composed was a lost cause; it was now or never. She'd have to relive her nightmare once again.

"I don't want to tell you, Sasuke."

Wringing her hands together, Sakura fought over if she should wait for his response or if she should simply tell him. Her eyes flew across the wooden planks of her floor, taking in details that didn't register in her mind. The thumping of her heart was louder than her thoughts and pulsated through her ears at a deafening tone. Pretty soon her breathing became erratic.

Sasuke watched, one eyebrow rising in question. This was not the Sakura he knew, and as much as his mind recoiled, he was a bit worried when her hands went to her head and tugged on her lipstick hair. Her eyes shined with the tears she held back.

"I… Sasuke… I was raped."

* * *

Konoha's streets were unusually cold that night. It irritated Sasuke to no end… enough that he had destroyed anything he felt was out of place on his steady trek home. As angry as he was, he actually wanted to cry. It had been so long since salt stung his eyes; he'd learned how to withstand pain and betrayal without a show of emotion, but when it came to someone important to him, it was different. He remembered crying on two other occasions- when his family died, and the day he thought he'd killed Naruto. Luckily for him, it rained both times. Tonight he was not as lucky. 

_"I… Sasuke… I was raped."_

_His heart stopped. Raped? Without realizing it, he'd allowed his eyes to grow into saucers and stare blankly toward Sakura. She turned away and began staring toward the floor again._

_Sakura sniffled a bit. "It was the night of our first Jounin mission."_

_"How…? You were with Kakashi… Naruto and I… we would have heard you scream, Sakura! Why didn't you scream?" he responded, unconsciously reacting in a confused manner._

_"It was my fault. I'd taken an unnecessary risk… and in the battle, managed to fall on my own poison needle and paralyzed myself. Kakashi had left me in order help you and Naruto… and I was told that if I complied, he would let you all live." Sakura smirked, her tears flowing freely. "Stupid of me to believe you were actually in danger and needed my help. This is the life of a kunoichi… and I'm not fit for it."_

_His mind was reeling… all the things he'd said about Sakura since that night, all the times he'd told her she was weak… he regretted them now. She wasn't weak… she wasn't a failure. Sakura was nothing he'd painted her to be in his mind. She allowed herself to be tainted in order to protect her comrades—that was more than he was willing to do._

_"I'm sorry Sasuke… I can no longer be a ninja of Konoha." She stated._

_Turning toward the burlap bag, Sasuke pulled out his scratched headband. He fingered it, watching the gleam on it change as he switched its position. Despite the years he had known Sakura and their friendship, he found it hard to look at her or get any closer to her. _

_"Kakashi-sensei saw the end of it… he knew. I'm sure he's told Naruto by now."_

_"Sakura…"_

_She turned to look at him; she was ashamed, but she'd hit rock bottom. There was no reason to hide from him anymore. Much to her surprise, he handed his forehead protector back to her, scratched side facing her so her reflection was separated into two pieces. His hand lingered above it for a moment as if he was afraid to move too fast. _

_He sighed. "You are stronger than I am. You kept trying… where I would have run away. There is no reason for you to resign."_

Fisting his palm together, he stuck it into a fence. Why had Tsunade sent Sakura in? With a risk like that… if he'd only known, maybe it would have been prevented. He hated the feelings reverberating inside of him. Why was he feeling like a failure for not protecting Sakura better? She was hurt many times and he'd felt no shame before. Something in her face and posture triggered strange emotions.

It was pointless to hold it in any more. Sasuke started crying.

"Dammit!"

"Yo, Sasuke-teme! Did you talk to Sakura-chan yet?" Naruto asked, smiling as he came down the road. "I hope you didn't upse…"

A fist landed in his face, sending Naruto spiraling backward to catch his balance. Holding a hand above his nose, he looked directly at Sasuke with malice in his eyes. His expression softened when he saw the tears falling from his eyes.

"Oi… what has you all worked up?" he questioned. "It's not every day I see you cry."

Sasuke glared. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Naruto questioned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Why didn't you tell me what happened to Sakura?"

"Oh… that. Kakashi-sensei said he wanted Sakura to tell you herself. We weren't sure how you'd react to the news… I haven't seen her since he told me. It sure explains a lot, huh?" he responded, his eyes dropping toward the cobblestones. "I never thought you'd cry over it."

Sasuke growled and took a hold of Naruto by his jacket collar. "Do you have any idea what that does to a person? Sakura will never be the same again!"

"Yes Sasuke, I know!" Naruto glared back. "I didn't trust you going to see her because I know how you are! I was waiting to hear you'd only made her feel worse by belittling her, or telling her she was weak!"

"I didn't say anything, dobe!"

Naruto stared. "You didn't say a thing?"

"What was I supposed to say, idiot?" he growled, finally letting Naruto go. "I don't know what's wrong with me right now."

"Well… if it makes you feel better… I cried too, when I found out."

Sasuke turned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'd usually tell you to go away, but I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to go off on my own… you know, in case the curse seal starts reacting."

Naruto nodded. He knew what Sasuke meant… but of course, he'd never say it out loud. They needed to figure out a way to help Sakura, and neither one of them could do it on their own.

**Author's Notes:** Wow, this finally done. Sorry it too so long guys! Remember to read and review, you hear? Love ya all! Thanks for all the reviews too… they make me smile.

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	10. Chapter 9: Self Verve

**Author's Notes:** Well… I'm surprised so many of you stayed with the story. I doubt I'll ever have 72 reviews for another chapter again. Thank you all for your wonderful support. **ALSO:** I am sorry if my updates after this are crappier or are even longer in wait. I recently went through a terrible break up with someone I had hoped to spend my life with… so I am not in the best of emotional attitudes. I need some time to heal. Thank you for your understanding.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 9: Self Verve**_

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto whined. "This is stupid. Why are we doing this again?"

He clenched his fists. This was the sixteenth time Naruto had asked that question since they'd begun the trek up toward the Hokage's office.

"Because Naruto, if anyone can convince Sakura to come back to service, it's the Hokage. It was your idea, remember?"

He grinned. "Tsunade-baa-chan can talk anyone into anything! She's sneaky with her words… sometimes I wonder if she lies straight out. She's as bad as ero-sennin!"

Closing his eyes, Sasuke turned away from Naruto and continued walking up the stairs. Neither one of them had seen Sakura in over four days. She had disappeared from the view of the village and all her friends within it. He sighed. There were many times he'd stopped outside Sakura's door, trying to gain the courage to walk back in and try once more to convince her to remain a kunoichi. Somewhere deep inside, he was scared to face her again. The pain she'd gone through had frightened and hurt him.

To put it frankly, it was pissing him off.

"Sasuke-teme, if you keep walking you'll run into the door!"

Jolted out of his brooding, Sasuke stopped mere inches from the Hokage's door. Without hesitation, he swung the door open and marched inside, Naruto by his side. Lying quite ungracefully upon her desk with a bottle of sake still within her grasp, Tsunade snored and then jostled until she finally blinked awake. She leaned back, stretching her limbs and titling her chair toward the window. Allowing a smile to grace her face, she slammed her elbows against the wood of the desk, and a loud crack resounded throughout the room.

"Do you enjoy just barging into my office, Uchiha? You seem to be making a habit of that as of late." she grumbled, glaring at the two familiar faces. "I was doing some intense work."

"You were sleeping!" Naruto whined. "And we're actually here for something important, Tsunade-baa-chan!"

Her eye twitched as she controlled her rage. "And what would this important thing be?"

* * *

Sakura sat on her bed, positioned so her face peered toward the window. The wind billowed her curtains, folding them with intensely gentle fingers that kissed her skin. Knees drawn up tightly toward her chin, all of Sakura's focus was on the methodical movements of her drapes. They were almost dancing with the wind, waltzing a romantic tune that couldn't reach mortal ears.

Next to her window sat the burlap bag filled with her kunoichi memorabilia. Despite her attempts to toss it out, she hadn't the strength to throw away her past. The past four days had been spent staring towards the window, then towards the bag in a never-ending cycle of mental destruction. She was picking at herself piece by piece, trying desperately to find the resolve to finally detach herself from the fear and anxiety that filled her. Strings attached her to the past, and despite her attempts at severing them, they remained fixated from her heart to the memories.

With a sigh, Sakura relaxed her pose and allowed her eyes to droop. She was shoving herself in directions she couldn't go and the affect was mentally and physically exhausting. Her answers continued to elude her, and with a sigh, she resigned to try again another day. Having once been a medical ninja, she understood and was capable of evaluating her limits; she had reached them.

Just as she stood up, a loud rapping came to the door of her apartment. She jumped, covering her head with her arms in an attempt to hide from the assumed adversary. The knocking continued in a constant stream, finally edging her from a protective stance into a cautious trek toward the door. Each beat on the wood became louder, giving them an urgent tone.

"Sakura-chan!" came the voice. "Please open up; it's very important that I speak with you!"

"Shizune-san?"

Reaching the door, Sakura unlocked it and let the door open to see Shizune in a deep sweat with Tonton in her arms. The creases in her face told of how urgent her race there had been. Worry began to fall into Sakura's stomach. Was she needed at the hospital for a mission that went terribly wrong?

"What is it, Shizune-san?"

She caught her breath while leaning on the door trim. "Tsunade-sama needs to see you right away! It's extremely important, she was going to come here herself!"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure, but I've never seen her like this before; I know it's immensely serious." Shizune responded. "Please, follow me!"

* * *

Folding her hands together to rest her chin upon them, Tsunade's hazel eyes interrogated the wall in front of her. How much longer was Shizune going to take? There was no way Sakura would take this long to come if it was an urgent call, irregardless of the present situation.

_"Stay out of here Naruto!" Tsunade screamed, watching the door close off her view of the boy she had just injured. "Treat me with some respect and then maybe I'll listen to your claims!"_

_Sasuke waited patiently for the Hokage to seat herself once more. After a swig of sake and a small fit of rage upon her desk, Tsunade turned her attention to the Uchiha heir. His posture was the same as always; stiff and disciplined. It was his eyes that had her worried. For a man who was supposed to have no true attachment to anyone or anything, the emotions in his eyes were swirling at an alarming rate._

_"What do you need?" she asked, huffing out her question._

_"I need you to assign Sakura to a mission."_

_Tsunade's eyes fell toward the desk. "I can't do that. She's no longer a kunoichi of Konoha."_

_"We need to force her." He reasoned. "You know Sakura—you need to throw her into a situation before she understands it."_

_"In my opinion, she's not ready for a mission, even if I force her into it."_

_"What if you request it?"_

_Raising an eyebrow, she watched the boy in front of her wearily. "What are you getting at?"_

_"Sakura needs a mission, to open her eyes."_

_Tsunade shook her head. "I can't do that. Her situation is too fragile."_

_"What if I was on the mission with her?" he suggested. _

_"A confidence boost from you protecting her without her knowing it isn't going to be the only thing she needs to get over this." Tsunade reasoned. "I'm assuming you know what happened to her."_

_Sasuke's eyes continued to stare in the same direction, the emotions still floating within a visual level. The debate within himself was becoming more apparent. _

_"I don't want her to give up."_

_Taking a long look at the only remaining Uchiha, Tsunade began evaluating the situation. When had Sasuke become so concerned with Sakura's well being? Why was he trying so hard to get her back into a situation that could either cripple or rescue her? Was it worth the risk?_

_A member of the ANBU squad appeared at Tsunade's side._

_"What is it with people just popping into my office today?" she grumbled. "Do you have something to report?"_

_He turned toward her ear and began to whisper the message. Tsunade's eyes grew into saucers, then she slammed her fist onto the desk. The ANBU member stepped back and disappeared just as quickly as he had come in. The look of shock on the Hokage's face was enough to send a chill down Sasuke's spine; something was definitely not good._

_"You have your mission with Sakura!" Tsunade shot up in her desk. "I'm sending you out for Ino and Shikamaru! Report back here as soon as you find them! Go!"_

_He didn't have to be told twice._

_"Shizune!"_

Tsunade drummed her fingers against her temple, fighting within herself to regain her composure. She had to be patient. Shizune would be bursting through the door with Sakura any moment now, screeching to a halt and then race down toward the hospital to tend to the recovered wounded.

The door to her office creaked open. "Tsunade-sama?"

Her heart jumped. "Sakura…."

Stepping into the room cautiously, Sakura closed the door behind her and set her gaze upon the floor. She had seen enough of her mentor's face to understand how grave the situation was; something was not right in the land of Konoha. What would she need her for?

"Sakura… please… I have a favor to ask of you." Came the voice. "Please… become a kunoichi once more for Konoha."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Well… that's all we get for this chapter. There will be more in the chapter to come. And trust me… there will be a SasuSaku moment of greatness to appear!

Love you all!

Crystal Renee


	11. Chapter 10: Self Divulgence

**Author's Notes:** I decided, out of my boredom, to start this chapter today. I know I said my updates would be slower and more sporadic, but with all the time I'm finding on my hands I really need to keep myself from thinking about the situation at hand. I'm tired of breaking my heart over and over everyday. So, without further adieu, here is the new chapter.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 10: Self Divulgence**_

The only sounds the company of four heard were their own racing footsteps across the forest canopy, and the rustling of leaves with each step they took. Sasuke was at the front, leading them onward to a destination that no one other than himself knew. Tsunade had demanded that they leave immediately, and for the team leader to unleash the details of their mission on the way. With the urgency level so high, Sakura hadn't felt as if she had much of a choice in becoming a kunoichi once more. She wasn't going to make the Hokage beg for her services. If she had called Sakura to the tower to ask her to come out of resignation, then Tsunade had a good reason for it. There was no point in questioning her motives, even if they were suspicious at times.

"This is a rescue mission." Sasuke started, his voice slicing through the silent air. "There were sixteen ANBU sent on a classified mission. Only four came back to the village, two of which were immediately sent to the hospital. The other two reported the remaining twelve members as missing in action. It is our mission to find any survivors, and bring them back to the village. There will be confrontation with the enemy, and I do not expect us to leave unscathed."

Now Sakura understood. She was needed for immediate medical treatment on the field; for some ANBU, her help out there would be the deciding factor of their survival. It made sense that Tsunade would require her help for this mission. Out of the twelve members left behind, Sakura estimated there would be two or three dead once they arrived. That would leave nine for her to administer emergency treatment to.

"If there are twelve for us to retrieve, why did Hokage-sama send out only one team of four?" Ino questioned.

Sasuke sighed. "She said she would construct a second group to follow us after they've secured the situation at the hospital. Until then, we will advance in two separate groups. Shikamaru and Ino, you will be in the lead. You both specialize in detaining the enemy; should we run into any trouble, it will be up to you to stop our opponents long enough for Sakura to administer the medical treatment. She and I will be the second team."

"If a full scale battle should occur, that would give us tactical advantage." Shikamaru responded. "We just need to put our pieces in the right places."

"Exactly." He responded. "I'll let you both take the lead now. I know Tsunade already gave you the coordinates."

* * *

Heaving once more, Sakura leaned against the tree for support. Her throat was burning as its lining tore each time she heaved and nothing came up. As her knees buckled, she landed against the tree, letting her eyes rest once more on that scene she stumbled upon. It wasn't like she'd never seen a battlefield before—she'd been on many—but this much carnage was too much for her to digest at the moment. She struggled to stand once more, using the tree as leverage to force her body to balance on its own.

The first few steps were the hardest for her; after that, her mind automatically shut down its ability to view the horrific scene before her. As she sidestepped the strewn limbs and skulls, Sakura kept an eye open for a body that wasn't hacked beyond comprehension. Thus far, she had counted six who were obviously dead. The first intact body she came across was at the end of the expansive blood bath. She knelt down beside it, and with shaking fingers checked for a pulse.

"Have you found any survivors?" Sasuke questioned, appearing beside her. His eyes were dark and lowered; he was obviously affected by the scene as well.

She shook her head. "No."

He responded to her with a curt nod. "Then we have accounted for how many members here?"

"Seven."

"I hope Ino and Shikamaru are having more luck."

Standing once more, Sakura's half lidded eyes scanned the battle ground once more, her eyes straining to understand how something like this could have happened. Who possessed the power to kill this many elite ninja? She could almost hear their screams and recreate the ambush. How many were killed before they had a chance to fight? A shudder ran down her spine. Hopefully they wouldn't run into the enemy out here.

"Sasuke…" she stated, not looking to see if he was listening or not. "Do you think we'll run in with whatever did this?"

"I would be surprised if we didn't."

She was silent for a moment, contemplating the situation. If they were to run into this enemy, would she be able to fight? Her fear of freezing, of hesitating… she wasn't sure she would be capable of a battle. Hesitation killed ninjas. Sakura couldn't handle that kind of responsibility at the moment.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Sasuke turned to face her. She was shaking again. He wasn't sure if it was because of the death that surrounded her, or the fear she was feeling being a kunoichi after she had made up her mind to resign. Having seen how she'd reacted in her last battle, he was surprised she managed to keep herself together as long as she had. The fact that she puked hadn't surprised him; she wasn't used to seeing disemboweled bodies thrown across a lake of blood. He reacted the same the first time he'd seen it.

"I think I know who's behind this." Sasuke remarked, pulling Sakura from her lethargic brooding.

She turned her head toward him, but kept her eyes on the ground. "Orochimaru. No one else could do this."

He didn't need to respond. She knew she was right.

* * *

"Sakura! We've found someone!" Ino's voice disrupted the silence of the radio. "He's not in good shape; you need to hurry!"

She stopped on a branch, using her chakra to enforce her balance. It was a he? The shaking started up again. She cursed herself for being so weak. It was her job—her last one as a kunoichi—to save these people who protected her village everyday, male or not. Why did it frighten her to the marrow of her bones to envision healing a man? Sakura knew she had to stop letting what had happened with Nishi hinder her from functioning in normal life.

"We're heading there." Sasuke responded for her.

Obviously, she had missed most of the conversation when she slipped into her thoughts. The irritation on Sasuke's features was enough to tell her that. Sighing, Sakura nodded her acceptance of his leadership, and let him show the way to the injured man. She saw the stiffness in his steps, signaling that something was wrong. There was nothing she could do for him. If Orochimaru was behind this, then it was possible his curse seal was acting up. Tsunade had performed the most complicated series of seals Sakura had ever seen to contain its power; but they had never tested it to see how well it was going to work should he come in contact with the creator again.

The trip was silent except for the racing heartbeat in her ears. She was scared. Sakura knew she was scared; the adrenaline in her body was causing her head to ache. It wasn't safe to keep shoving herself into these situations. Her body was screaming at her to run back and abandon the mission before someone else hurt her; her heart wouldn't let her betray her promise to Tsunade.

Normally, she would have taken comfort in the fact that Sasuke was with her. She'd learnt to rely on him to fill in where she was weakest. The hate she held for herself increased tenfold when he was around; never in her life had she been afraid of him. Now all she felt was utter fright. Her heart sank at the thought; did she really believe Sasuke would hurt her like that?

They finally appeared at the clearing, where Ino knelt next to the man, holding his hand and attempting to comfort him. Shikamaru was off in the distance, standing by two other motionless bodies. In all, they had discovered ten of the twelve missing ANBU, and so far, there was only one survivor. Sasuke motioned for her to treat the man still hidden behind a crow's mask before walking off to investigate the area. The beating of Sakura's heart increased; she could feel the veins thumping in her temples the closer she came to her patient.

Ino looked toward her. "I'm not sure you can really do anything for him, Sakura."

She smiled, trying to cover up her insecurity. "We'll see about that."

He had sustained a devastating injury to his chest; she could see the broken ribs which tore through his muscle and flesh. It was possible one or more had punctured a vital organ, which would spell out his death. His skin was turning to a shade of grey that told her his death was coming, even if it was slow. Despite this, she couldn't get her hands to move over his chest. It was taking every ounce of her energy to force her body to listen.

_'I have to help him! Tsunade-shishou is depending on me to perform this mission flawlessly. I have a chance to save someone, and I'm hesitating! Hesitation kills ninjas! This man can't hurt me anyway; even after I heal him, he won't have the strength! Sakura, heal him!'_

Her hands slowly edged over his chest, resting mere centimeters above the fatal wound. She spread her hands apart enough so that only her fingers cross at a 90 degree angle, and willed her chakra to enter his wound. She could feel the torn muscles increasing their cell count and begin to regenerate; that was as much as she could do. It was too dangerous to perform a surgery on the field to deal with his ribs at the moment. He would have to last until they could return him to Konoha.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, although she wasn't over exerting herself. She was nervous, scared… so much so that her body was releasing it in other ways. Her hands shook as she focused her being on healing the injury.

"Ino… get the water out of my pack and take his mask off. We need to start filling him with fluid. That will have to do until we can get him to Konoha and start a blood transfusion."

She nodded, pulling the bottle from the sack. She popped off the lid, then turned the mask slightly to uncover the man's mouth. Sakura's eyes widened; his lips were shaped exactly the same as Nishi's. Shaking her head, she turned her gaze back down to his chest. There was no way this was him; she was being silly.

That was when she felt the hand grip her arm.

Her first instinct was to freeze. The chakra ceased flowing from her hands as her eyes made a slow trek up toward his face. His lips were moving, slowly forming words Sakura couldn't make out. Gripping her arm with more force, he pulled her down toward his mouth, where he could whisper into her ear.

"P.. ple.. please…"

Without thinking, Sakura screamed. "Let me go!"

She shook her arm out of his grasp, sending herself flying into Ino. They collided with the forest floor, landing in a puddle of blood. The first to regain her bearing, Sakura started to force herself away, scooting with the force of her feet until she fell again. The blood splashed on her face, drenching her hair and clothes crimson.

"Sakura, what's wrong with you?" Ino chided. "You're acting crazy!"

_He gripped her hand, forcing her to come closer to his face. Sakura felt him move her head so his lips grazed against her ear. She shuddered; this wasn't what she wanted, but she had no choice. She had to do it-- her team was depending on her._

_"Please…" came his voice. "Please…try not to scream."_

_Her head slammed against the floor when he let her go. Before she realized what was happening, he started tearing at her clothing. Piece by piece he revealed her body to his wishes._

She started breathing heavily as she held her head.

"Kagemane no jutsu! Shikamaru…." Ino's voice came, obviously overwhelmed with whatever it was that was going on beyond Sakura's body.

"Just get her out of there, Ino." He responded. "I told you women were troublesome; she gave away our position. I'll hold these guys off. Get her somewhere safe and then come back. We're going to need you in this fight."

She nodded, stood up and raced to Sakura's side. Taking a hold of her arm, she forced the girl to stand and started racing off with her. It was irritating that Sakura had put them into such a dire situation, but what was done was done. Catching a glare out of the corner of her eye, Ino flung the girl behind her in a circular motion, using her free hand to take hold of a kunai to deflect the shuriken racing toward her body.

"Sakura! Get a hold of yourself!" Ino shouted, letting the girl go. "I can't protect you!"

She felt the air tense with the incoming enemy. Forcing herself into a position to shield Sakura, Ino began making the seals needed for her technique. At this rate, she didn't have much of a choice; she needed to find out how many people were hidden, and where they were from. Shikamaru had already put himself in a dangerous situation to save their lives; she knew the boy hadn't really thought before racing in. For being a genius, he could do some pretty stupid things at times.

"Catch my body and hide it." She demanded. "I'm counting on you, Sakura! Shintenshin no jutsu!"

As her body went limp, Sakura found herself aware of her surroundings. Everything had happened so fast, she hadn't had time to realize what was going on. Ino landed in her lap, and the person she invaded disappeared into the forest. It was the perfect cover; it looked as if Ino had been killed, meaning no one would think twice about the returning ninja.

It took a moment before Sakura could locate a place to hide herself and Ino. She pushed her way into a hallow beneath a tree, making sure Ino was sitting upright and in a comfortable position. Writing a message into the dirt so the girl knew where was once the jutsu dispelled and she returned, Sakura crawled out and tried to focus on the situation at hand, and not the rape. She'd just placed herself and her friends into a dire predicament because she'd relapsed; if anyone died today, it was her fault.

"Sakura."

She went rigid when the voice infiltrated the air. It was familiar, but the last person she wanted to see. Part of her waited for his ridicule, anticipating a barrage of just complaints and accusations. Steeling herself for the verbal assault, Sakura turned to face him with her eyes planted directly on the ground. The strength she needed to face Sasuke was disappearing quickly.

"Look at me, Sakura." He growled.

The demand caused her to wince, but Sakura found herself lifting her eyes toward Sasuke. She immediately took notice of his hand on his neck; it was covering the curse seal. It was a habit she knew too well; the pain was inscribed in his facial features. When the seal reacted like that, it meant Orochimaru was close. If he was, they were in more trouble than they'd originally anticipated.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Nope, no SasuSaku goodness in this chapter. I'm pretty sure it will pop up in the next one, though. The scene is already written as it is. Hopefully you all like what I do with it. Remember to read and review everything. Reviews help me get my writing juices flowing!

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee


	12. Chapter 11: Self Resistance

**Author's Notes:** Okay, so I'm attempting to write this chapter. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, or where I'm going with this story anymore. I think I've added in a few too many elements… but hopefully I'll be able to finish this very soon, and my updates will become closer.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 11: Self Resistance**_

Sakura pounced from branch to branch, cautiously keeping an eye on Sasuke's movements. She saw the way he'd stiffened the further into the dense forest they traveled; that meant they were drawing closer to Orochimaru, or he was closing in on them. A shiver fell down the nerves of her spine; he was one character she didn't want to see right now. He had always given off an air of molestation and danger. The thought of being anywhere within a close proximity of the sanin frightened her into a muted state.

"Sakura… whatever you do, don't freeze." Sasuke's voice was laced with pain.

She didn't respond—all her focus was on forcing her feet to move one in front of the other. Her muscles were trying to initiate a halt. The chemicals in her body were sending mixed signals that forced extra adrenaline into her system. The overload caused her to feel light headed, and the fear did nothing to nullify this affect.

Sasuke stopped, pinching his fingers over the curse seal and leaning against the trunk of the tree. Biting his lip to repress the urge of screaming, he positioned himself so he was sitting, facing forward where he could keep an eye on anything surrounding him. Sakura landed before him, watching the pain that bit at the creases of his face. Her fear of going near him was in high alert, but she drew closer regardless.

Worried, she went to place a hand over his forehead, and instead stopped millimeters from his skin. "Sasuke…"

_'I… I need to help him… I have to do something, anything to get rid of his pain…'_

"Stop it Sakura." He growled under his gritted teeth. "You're not in the mental state to touch me, I know."

"I…" she couldn't respond. He was right.

"We can't out run him, not like this. He's gotten faster."

Realization dawned upon her. That was why he told her not to freeze; there was going to be confrontation he couldn't protect her from. Sasuke couldn't fight in his condition; one slip up would cost him all the time and trouble he'd gone through to slip out of the power hunger implanted in him by the curse seal. Confrontation with Orochimaru would only resurface the seal's power.

She let her hand fall back to her side. "You won't be able to fight."

"I have to. You don't have the power to stop him yourself." He answered. "I'm the only one who knows his techniques, and the best way to counter them."

"But…"

"Just don't freeze up on me, Sakura." He demanded, forcing himself to stand once again. "I'm going to need you in this fight. I can't use my chakra, but you can."

Her eyes widened. The curse seal's power was activated when he used his sharingan or chakra; if Sasuke was to fight Orochimaru, it would be taijutsu and weapons only. The snake sanin would have an easy time destroying Sasuke in that state. She had to make up for Sasuke's handicap with her own techniques.

She shook her head. "Sasuke, I can't!"

He eyed her wearily, looking for a reason to back up her statement. Sakura backed up out of protective instincts; she didn't have a reason other than she was frightened. She was more than frightened, though. The fear ran deep in her bones and blood, polluting her head with theories and outcomes far worse than death. They poisoned her muscles and limbs.

"You can, and you will." He stated coldly. "I won't let Orochimaru near you, but I need you to lend me your skills."

"I… why, Sasuke-kun?" she shuddered, hugging her body. "You're so much stronger than I am… I'm the weakest person here! I can't function correctly, so I'll only be in the way…"

He shot her a cold look. "Shut up."

Hurt, Sakura's eyes wavered with tears. She understood his anger. The situation was dire and she was whining, dropping herself down to the weak link that needed to be protected. When he needed to rely upon her, she was forcing everything onto him. Despite knowing he had every right to be angry, she still felt betrayed. Sasuke knew what had happened and the way she'd reacted in battle; why was he trying so hard to shove her into situations she wasn't ready for? He was completely ignoring the trauma she'd suffered.

As soon as the thoughts flew into her head, Sakura regretted them. Since when had she ever been this selfish?

"I know all that, Sakura—but Tsunade-sama was the only one who could defeat Orochimaru before. Seeing as you are her pupil, I assumed you would have the same ability over him she does." Sasuke responded. "Besides, I can't get too close to Orochimaru with the curse seal acting up."

"I… I understand." She nodded.

* * *

"The blood scent is overwhelming." Kiba complained, halting the second wing of Tsunade's rescue mission in their tracks. "There are definitely at least two bodies here." 

"A battle." Neji corrected. "I'm guessing the first string ran into trouble."

Without hesitation, they shot off deeper into the canopy of the forest, attempting to gain an advantage via overhead assault. As the sounds of clanking metal and jutsu calls erupted throughout the forest, the group dispensed into two separate teams. Kiba and Naruto took the ground for a frontal distraction, while Neji and Tenten kept to the canopy to take advantage of the distraction.

* * *

Ino rolled to the right, barely managing to miss the attack directed toward her jugular. Her eyes scanned the area; it had been a while since she returned to her body, and neither she nor Shikamaru had seen the other two members of their team. It was worrisome, but they had to face the enemies at hand and ignore the possibility that their comrades were in trouble. 

Turning on her heel, Ino raced out in front of Shikamaru. Considering they were once team members, they had discovered it was easy to implant their techniques into one major attack. Using Ino's shadow to extend his own, Shikamaru managed to create a long range version of Kage Nui. With the confusion brought about by that technique, Ino would have an opening to use her Shinranshin no Jutsu, and confuse the opponents into attacking each other.

"Ino... keep your guard up." Shikamaru stated, moving himself out of a defensive position. "Something doesn't feel right."

She nodded. "It got quiet too fast."

* * *

Sakura let the plan Sasuke had formulated flow through her mind. There didn't seem to be any holes in his plan to attack Orochimaru. The amount of close range battle was daunting, but she knew better than to complain over her position in this fight anymore. She had spent years trying to get the recognition Sasuke was giving her now. She felt some pride that he was relying on her; but more than anything else, Sakura was frightened. She'd already been the cause of enough trouble for her team members. She had to stop herself from freezing in battle before it killed someone. 

"He's here." Sasuke remarked. "Go to your position."

Nodding, Sakura disappeared into the canopy of the forest. It was her job to hide in the shadows. They'd created a code out of techniques for when she would bring about her own assistance. Sakura was supposed to stay to the rear of Orochimaru while Sasuke occupied the front. It was going to be difficult to mask her chakra from a sanin, but that could be dispelled with a few shadow clones. Naruto taught Sakura his Kage Bunshin no jutsu technique a year before the Jounin exams, convinced she would need the skill in order to pass along with himself and Sasuke.

Considering each clone had its own chakra supply, it would make it more difficult for Orochimaru to identify where she was. She had not run this idea by Sasuke, but she assumed it wouldn't affect the original battle plan—she was playing a supporting role, and having more than one of her might help. Unlike Naruto, she couldn't withhold an expansive amount of clones for long periods of time, and her limited chakra had already been tapped into when she attempted to heal one of the ANBU members. It was a risk to extend her chakra like this, but there wasn't much else she could do. First and foremost, she needed to hide. Orochimaru was skilled enough to detect her, even if she was to mask her presence. The best option was to try to fool him into believing he was surrounded.

With the jutsu initiated, Sakura sent her clones off in different direction to surround the battle area in a circular shape. Her body tingled with anticipation. It had been years since she'd last laid eyes upon Orochimaru, and it was doubtful she would recognize him upon their reunion in battle. Since he didn't use Sasuke's body as a container, there was a possibility he had used at least two other bodies since their last encounter. The only way to distinguish Orochimaru was by the aura surrounding him, and his elongated black hair.

Sakura didn't need to hear the clashing of kunai to understand that the battle had begun. She could feel the cold air that entered the forest before the sound reached her ears. Her eyes darted down toward Sasuke, keeping a close watch on his movements as she traveled closer to the battle. She needed to be close enough to hear the conversation between both of them.

* * *

"I'm not here for you, Sasuke-kun." The sanin hissed. 

Sasuke glared. "Then why are you here?"

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten everything from your time with the Sound, Sasuke-kun. There are plans we never finished." He responded nonchalantly.

He glared. Of course he hadn't forgotten his time with Orochimaru; nor had he forgotten the things he'd learned while with the snake sanin. There were aspects of his life within the Sound he had suppressed from memory, but most of the plans, power and ideals of the village remained in his conscious mind. Sasuke hated to admit it, but he still withdrew power from those thoughts during battle and training. Although he'd redeemed himself, it was impossible to deny he learned many skills there that he still used and practiced since returning to Konoha.

"You mean... you're still going to attack Konoha?"

Orochimaru's sadistic laugh filled the forest. "I may have given up on you, but overthrowing Konoha has always been our ultimate goal."

Gripping his curse seal, Sasuke fell once more to his knees; Orochimaru was toying with him. "So what are you doing now? I would think you'd take advantage of the lack of ANBU and capable jounin within Konoha. Instead, you followed me."

There wasn't much of a response as sweat dripped down Sasuke's face. The pain from the curse seal was coming in waves which varied in intensity and length. Discomfort made it difficult for him to focus on the matter at hand. All things considered, there was a bigger lack in conflict than he originally expected. It caused his senses to go into a hyperactive mode, looking for an ambush while attempting to sense Orochimaru's true intentions. Rule number one when dealing with Orochimaru was to always expect the unexpected.

Deciding to take the opening to attack, Sasuke bit his thumb, and started the hand seals for a summoning technique. It was Sakura's cue to attack from the rear, rendering Orochimaru incapable of movement by slicing his leg muscles. They had estimated the precise timing of her appearance, the angles—if everything flew into position correctly, this would be a sure-win attack.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't you I was following."

The moment Sasuke's hand hit the ground, Orochimaru spun. He took a hold of Sakura's wrist, below the chakra glowing palm and stared into her face. The light ebbed away slowly as her fear overtook her.

"I was after her." He smiled, extending his tongue to taste her skin.

Sakura's body started to shake, and her eyes widened. Her knees were starting to buckle, and her concentration on her clone jutsu disappeared. Smoke floated into the air. The fog it created pushed a gray shaded blanket between Sasuke and herself. Having lost his view of them, Sasuke strained to listen.

Orochimaru's free hand went toward Sakura's cheek, caressing her skin softly.

"It's not everyday I get such a beautiful woman after my life."

_Nishi held her wrist, waiting for the syringe to fall from her grasp._

_"Hm… it's not everyday I get such a beautiful kunoichi after my life."_

"Let me go! Let go of me!" Sakura screamed, transferring her chakra into her other palm, and with her eyes closed, she swung toward Orochimaru.

She felt his tongue wrap around her neck. She placed her chakra into both hands and placed them on the over stretched muscle. Her body jerked, and soon she was sent flying through the fog. Landing spine first against a tree trunk knocked the wind out of her. Sasuke appeared by her side as she coughed to regain her oxygen supply.

He didn't take the time to think of what he was doing—it was pure instinct to activate the sharingan and stand his ground now. The red ring surrounding her neck was infuriating him. Why was Sakura Orochimaru's new target? He would die before he let that happen.

"What do you want with Sakura?" he growled.

Orochimaru smirked. "She killed Nishi Kyo. If she has the power to defeat him, that is a power I wish to gain."

_'That assassination mission…'_ he thought.

Turning back to look at Sakura, Sasuke barely ducked the kunai chucked at his head. He watched Sakura's eyes shake as she tried to stand up. She gripped the bark of the tree tightly, cutting into her hands to keep a good hold. The anger welling up inside of him from seeing her so spooked was starting to reach the brim.

"We need to get out of here, Sakura. Can you stand?" he whispered, trying to keep a calm tone.

She nodded lightly, her strength diminishing as fear began to weigh down on her muscles.

"I don't see an escape happening."

Snakes came flying out of Orochimaru's sleeves, poised to attack. Sakura and Sasuke jumped in separate directions, avoiding the collision of reptiles and the explosion of their contact with the tree. Tripping over a wire, Sakura activated a trap she hadn't noticed before. She could smell the oil that as it dripped onto the wood surrounding her; out of the corner of her eye, she watched Orochimaru begin the hand seals for a fire-style jutsu.

"Sakura, don't just stand around!"

Flames erupted into an explosion, igniting areas of forest.

* * *

"Oi, Ino?" Naruto inquired. "What are you doing here? Where are Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme?" 

Shikamaru shook his head. "We lost radio contact a half hour ago. Did you find any other ANBU members?"

Tenten shook her head, and then started inspecting the battlefield. "Are you two injured?"

They both shook their head; they had obtained injuries, but they weren't life threatening. With a wave of her hand, the group followed Ino toward the only known survivor of the ambush. The man was still pale, but the bleeding had slowed. He was speaking incoherently as Ino tried once more to make him drink the water Sakura had handed her.

"We need to get him back to Konoha." Neji remarked. "Tenten, you and Kiba carry him back."

Naruto stood beside Shikamaru, looking over the fallen ninja. "They're all earth shinobi, like the ones who attacked Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan before."

"They were the ones who ambushed the ANBU as well." Shikamaru remarked. "I believe the Godaime knows something about this we don't. We've had too many skirmishes with this village for it to be a passing event. My guess is a war is brewing. Judging by the power they used to destroy the ANBU… we're in a lot of trouble."

A loud booming noise caught everyone's attention.

* * *

Sasuke's head bobbed above the rough lake water first, his eyes searching frantically for his frail teammate. He had had a hold of her when they had plunged into the water, but now she was no where in sight. 

"Sakura!" He called, hoping she had popped up already somewhere further away from him.

Something started clawing at his leg; it took all of Sasuke's self control not to kick whatever it was. It climbed up his body until hair started to float on the surface. Not many things had magenta hair. Hoisting Sakura up by an arm he had instinctively wrapped around her waist, he watched her face as she bent over his shoulder to cough up blood and water. The muscles in Sasuke's face refused to listen to his brain and contorted at the heart wrenching sounds Sakura was making; every hack or wheeze caused a twitch in his normally impassive facade.

Without a second thought, Sasuke began the swim back toward shore. Sakura's eyes were drooping but she fought the fatigue and helped him paddle, which he was grateful for. Once they were close enough, the duo stood and began to walk through the water toward the shore, leaning against one another until they collapsed on the grass beneath the trees.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, turning to look at her.

Sakura leveled her breathing, coughing occasionally when water would surface from its dormant position in her lungs. Her eyes opened a bit, glazed over with the same fear he had seen right before they had been sent from the forest and into the lake. Hesitantly, Sasuke lifted his arm and reached over to touch her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.

The way Sakura flinched and closed her eyes, tipping her head down and squeezing her shoulder close to her neck did not go unnoticed and caused him to pause in his movement, withdrawing the hand that was supposed to comfort her. Sasuke turned his gaze away and instead focused on sitting up and looking toward the sky to calm his heart and mind. After what had happened... he should have known she'd react as if he was a vile poison bent on destroying her.

A soft, moist sounding ruffle caught his attention. Sakura was moving. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke watched her stand; it didn't go unnoticed how she stood, covering her chest with wet, shaking arms. Bowing her head, silent sobs began to escape her lips as she began stepping away, her feet numb to the movement and making her retreat difficult.

_'Not like this... I can't let Sasuke-kun see me this way... he'll do the same thing...'_

Her back hit a tree.

Sasuke stood up and turned his eyes toward her, allowing her to see through him. The anguish he felt for her, the guilt, the anger, the hatred... the compassion. Taking a few steps toward her, Sasuke stopped when he was within arms reach, his eyes never leaving her as he watched her fidgety movements. Sakura's gaze flew all around her, obviously looking for an escape before she allowed her gaze to fall on him.

There they stood, both entirely soaking wet, in the middle of the forest at well past midnight, one staring in fear and the other as if he was looking for forgiveness.

Tugging on her sleeves, Sakura dropped her eyes to the forest floor. She hugged her arms more over her chest, trying to protect herself from this new gaze.

"You never answered my question, Sakura."

Her voice came out quietly. "I... I'm fine."

Sakura's eyes flew wide open and up toward Sasuke's face the moment she felt his hands gently pry her arms away from her body. The fear in her gaze flew off in vibes, and she shoved her body as far up the tree trunk as she could. Sasuke's grip was gentle but firm, telling her she was not going to be getting away from him. Tears began welling up in her eyes, silent whimpers escaping her lips as she gazed at him, pleading for him to leave her alone and let her run.

Setting her hands on his arms, she tried vainly to force him to release his grip by pinching the nerves near his elbow, but it proved to be fruitless. He wasn't going to let go, and he wasn't going to release his unrelentelss gaze from those obsidian eyes. Sakura felt her knees going weak in her fear; Sasuke couldn't... he wouldn't do that to her, would he?

"Please... let me go..." she begged, her voice breaking up with the sobs she refused to release.

Sasuke looked toward the ground. "I... I'm sorry, for what happened. It should have been me doing the assassination instead of you."

"Please..." Sakura's voice cracked, the tears falling down her face now. "Sasuke-kun... stop it..."

A small smile fell on his lips—it was the first time he'd heard his name with the –kun suffix from her lips in a while. He hated to see the fear in her gaze; she thought he was going to hurt her. She was afraid he'd rape her too. There was as much regret in her voice as there was in his eyes. Sasuke could tell she'd given up. All those years she had fought for him, and right when he finally started to realize how much she meant to him, how her priceless support had brought him this far... she had to lose everything.

He wasn't going to lose her.

"Don't hurt me... please..." she pleaded, allowing her eyes to fall back to the side, trying to hold back her tears that were already falling.

"Sakura..."

She looked at him.

"Trust me, Sakura." Sasuke looked into her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He leaned in slowly, waiting for Sakura to stop fidgeting before his lips landed softly upon hers.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Alright, this was a longer chapter… and as you can see, I tied a lot of things together with this baby. And the SasuSaku moment of greatness has finally appeared! Review, everybody. Lots of reviews means more updating, and more SasuSaku goodness! 

Love and hugs-

Crystal Renee


	13. Chapter 12: Self Elucidation

**Author's Note**: Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't update as soon I should have. I know, I know, I'm a horrible authoress! But you'll all be happy to know that SWBOS has now been turned into a doujinshi! That's right, now you can read this story, and see pictures to it as well! You can find it at http: wilted-blossom .deviantart .com . Without the spaces, of course.

_**Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring**_

_**Chapter 12- Self Elucidation**_

A tapping sound filled the tower. Tsunade's hands continued with the annoying movement across her desk, flowing in tune with her concentration. The mission synopsis was raising more questions than it was quelling them. She'd been worried about the increase in violence from the Hidden Earth village, but a full scale ambush simply tipped the scales into offensive mode. For them to have discovered the undercover operations of the ANBU meant there was an information leak she'd have to take care of.

She had been dismissing each member of the 8-person rescue squad one by one, delving information from them and then sending them on their way. Eventually, only Sakura remained within the office. With calculating honey eyes, Tsunade placed her full attention upon her pupil. To say she had expected a smile to spread over the girl's face upon being forced out of hibernation would have been foolhardy; but as the Hokage, she'd expected to see more than a glare. It simply wasn't Sakura's nature to have so much anger.

"Is there anything you have to add?" Tsunade questioned, her face impassive.

Sakura was silent for a moment. "Orochimaru was there."

There was no warning as debris flew across the room when Tsunade's fist hit her desk. Sakura allowed the pieces of wood to strike her skin and made no attempt to protect herself from the sliver projectiles. She was still numb from her plunge into the lake, so the pain didn't register as wood wedged itself inside her skin and amongst her nerves.

Curses of every nature escaped Tsunade's lips.

"Why didn't anyone else mention this?" she exploded. "That should have been the first thing I was told!"

"Because, Tsunade-shishou, only Sasuke and myself/I saw him."

Plopping back down into her seat, Tsunade placed her head into her palms and bit her lip to release her anger. Orochimaru was the last person she wanted to deal with. It was hard enough to protect the village without him trying to come in and ruin the years of reconstruction from the first Sound invasion. She was still under the scrutiny of the elders for her controversial ways of rebuilding the village— another attack by Orochimaru would only lower her reputation more, and annihilate the morale of Konoha as a whole.

Releasing a breath she'd been holding to calm herself, she continued the questioning. "How did the curse seal react?"

"It stayed intact within the seal, but caused him great pain." Sakura responded, her voice grating on the words. "He wasn't after Sasuke."

This peaked Tsunade's interest. "Did he say what he wanted, or what he was planning?"

"Besides trying to spark war with Konoha again?" Sakura started shaking as the sarcasm dripped from her words.

Silence floated in the air. Tsunade made no attempt to force more of an answer out of Sakura—she knew well enough that she would tell the whole story. Emotions flew across Sakura's face and eyes. Tears were welling up behind her façade and she was cracking, one thought after another. It hurt to watch someone who was once so strong fallen into such a state.

After a few moments of contemplation, Sakura finished her statement.

"He was after me."

* * *

His neck and shoulder still felt stiff, but Sasuke thanked Shizune for her diligent care nonetheless. The pain of the curse seal had ebbed, and now he felt exhausted. It showed in the droopiness of his eyes and slight way he slouched upon standing. A motherly smile fell over Shizune's lips as she watched him work out the remaining evidence of the curse seal's attack. Thanking him, she gave him instructions to report to Tsunade. After rolling his stiff shoulder a few more times, he walked out of the office and started up the stairwell.

Sasuke would have preferred to have someone with him. It was unlike him to feel that way, but he didn't want his thoughts to travel to Sakura—which he knew they would unless he was distracted. Small talk with Shizune had served its purpose of prolonging the confrontation with his thoughts, but now there was nothing stopping them from floating out of his subconscious and into the forefront of his mind frame.

He'd been looking for a reason to his actions—he narrowed it down to confusion, circumstance, protective urges and relief. It was a dangerous mix that caused him to act on impulse instead of thinking things through. The most aggravating part wasn't that he had actually given in and kissed Sakura— it was the fact that he had enjoyed it, and wanted more. Sasuke was well aware he had severely overstepped a boundary that once never existed, but he couldn't find himself feeling remorse for it.

By the time he'd reached Tsunade's door, Sakura was stepping out. Sasuke sidestepped and backed himself up against the wall when he saw her coming. Neither one looked at the other, and no words were exchanged; but that didn't keep Sasuke from sensing the way she flinched and edged as far from him as a restricting corridor would allow. Clenching his fists, he used all his self restraint not to scream for her.

He stood there in the hall long after she'd left. His body wanted to chase her, but his mind was scared. Sasuke didn't regret what he had done—but he did regret the distance he had created in doing it.

Trying not to worry about the riff his actions had created, he turned and stepped into Tsunade's office. The dishevelment of the room didn't surprise him; obviously, she had not been happy with the mission report. She had a history of throwing inane fits when things didn't go the way she had plotted or hypothesized.

He slid against the wall, keeping himself as far from the Hokage as possible. Sasuke forced all thoughts of Sakura out of his conscious mind and focused solely on the movements and eventual words that would come from the protector of the village. She was still in the middle of a cursing rampage, turning around and pulling at her hair as if it would magically pop up a solution to her problems.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I have one thing to say to you." She stated upon seeing him against her wall near the doorway.

Raising an eyebrow in question, he waited for her to finish her statement.

Tsunade marched up to him, anger burning in her gaze. He supposed she had good reason for whatever her rage toward him was for, so he made no attempt to press her further or escape the punishment she was going to inflict upon him.

The smack that echoed throughout the room left a deep red mark across his cheek, but his face showed no sign of pain or shock.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she cried. "Kissing Sakura, are you an idiot? You know what happened to her! You were the one who pushed me to place her in this mission in the first place! Did you honestly think she wouldn't react negatively to your advances?"

Sasuke's eyes looked toward the floor, his face turned away from hers. He hadn't expected this to be the first point of business. "It wasn't my intention to do that."

"The fact of the matter is that you did, and now she's afraid of you!"

He didn't respond. Tsunade stepped away from him, calming her frustration enough to make a better inspection of his body language. He seemed impassive, but it was obvious he was hurt by his own mistake as much as Sakura was. Sasuke couldn't look her in the eyes, and his fists were clenched. She sighed and turned back toward the only thing she hadn't shattered to pieces—her chair.

"Did Orochimaru say why he was after her?" Tsunade questioned, her voice quieting.

"He said something about her having the power to defeat Nishi Kyo." Sasuke offered, glad for the subject change. "Am I right to assume that's the mission…?"

She nodded. "Orochimaru may have said that, but it's not his real reason. My guess is that mentioning his name was to test his resources, and see if whoever is leaking him the information on Sakura and ANBU can be trusted. Obviously, I'm assuming he got a positive answer. There is a different reason he wants Sakura."

"It has something to do with you." Sasuke deducted.

"You've always been sharp." She noted, slightly impressed at his ability to figure this out. "I have two techniques Orochimaru wants, and I'm sure he assumes Sakura knows them as well. My jutsu of youth, and my Ninpo Sozo Saise."

He looked surprised. "You haven't taught these to her?"

"She has no use for the jutsu of youth, and although Ninpo Sozo Saise can keep her from dying in battle, to hasten her healing so much will shorten her lifespan. She's too young to start shedding years off of her life." Tsunade commented.

"Why would Orochimaru want a jutsu that would eventually kill him?"

"He doesn't know of that side affect." She answered. "All he saw were my wounds instantly healing."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "So you think he wants Sakura for that reason, so he can learn those skills?"

"I'm sure he also feels it would be a great advantage over me—he could learn more of my fighting style, and ways to counter it. The only other reason I can think of would be to heal his arms, but as you reported back when you first returned from Sound, Kabuto already found a way to give Orochimaru back some mobility and use of his arms for jutsu."

He nodded.

Tsunade was quiet, contemplating her options as she glanced around at the destruction of her office. She eyed the boy standing in before her, the determined look in his eyes causing her thoughts to wander. It was a risk, she determined, but one that she was willing to take for the sake of her pupil. With a sigh, she leaned back and began to speak with a professional air she only used when her mind was made up.

"Sasuke, I have an extension mission for you."

* * *

The hallway of Sakura's apartment was dark and silent except for her sobs. She tugged roughly at her hair, screaming out in agony and betrayal. Pain rooted itself deeply within her being—she felt her regret and fear in the marrow of her bones and every muscle she possessed. Increased emotional turmoil was starting to chip away at her sanity; Sakura knew this, and she understood it. There was nothing she could do to stop the process as it gradually tore her away from life and humanity.

Letting her legs slip out from between her hands to splay out across the floor, the tension under her skin started to ebb. She continued sobbing, her face turning up toward the blank ceiling over her.

"Why…?" she questioned aloud, flashes/images of Sasuke blinking before her eyes. "All this time…"

It didn't make sense to her. Sakura wasn't sure if she should be glad he'd opened himself to the emotions and dreams she'd had before her rape, or if she should hate him for trying to make an advance on her after she'd been destroyed. Part of her wondered if the twitter in her chest and the tingle in her stomach she had felt during his kiss had truly been fear.

She closed her eyes in resignation—she was afraid of him. She was scared he'd take advance of her. She was worried he'd betray her in a way that was deeper than his betrayal of Konoha. What frightened her the most was the risk that Sasuke would abandon her. As much as she wanted to be away from him, Sakura wanted him to fight for her.

Sakura wanted him to prove the kiss in the forest meant something.

She laughed; inane realizations clearing her mind. Nishi had torn away the only thing that made her body her own—he'd infected in her with a strange kind of disease that men could detect. Maybe it was something in her aura, or perhaps it was a scent she couldn't smell. Either way, her body meant nothing; it was just a shell meant for the instinctual carnal pleasures of men. What was the point in trying to keep it to herself anymore when she had no reason to be saving it? He had tainted her… enough so that when she glanced into the mirror, she didn't recognize her own reflection.

What was she saving herself for now? She meant nothing… she was nothing. Everywhere she turned there was a new mistake, a new incident that hurt someone else or destroyed something. Little by little, she was doing nothing but destroying the people she once tried so hard to protect.

Orochimaru's face flashed within her closed eyelids.

* * *

Sasuke waited impatiently at Naruto's apartment door, wondering where his blonde counterpart was. This late night meeting had been _his_ idea—what right did he have to be late? Considering Naruto picked up his perversity from his two years with Jiraiya, Sasuke concluded it made perfect sense he'd also picked up Kakashi's tardiness through the years.

_'The idiot's like a sponge.'_

"Oi, Sasuke-teme, I was wondering when you'd get here!" Naruto shouted from down the hall. "I've been here and back twice already!"

Sasuke huffed. "Why did you tell me to meet you here?"

Naruto's lighthearted mood turned dark. "What was wrong with Sakura-chan?"

"What do you mean?'

The growl that erupted from within Naruto's throat was intimidating, but Sasuke continued to stare him down with his classic impassive expression. He knew what Naruto was trying to pry at. It had been Naruto who had found Sasuke and Sakura in the forest after Orochimaru's trap and explosion—it didn't surprise Sasuke that he knew something had happened. Unfortunately, the conversation with Tsunade was still sitting ill within his stomach—he was in no mood to repeat the situation again.

"What happened to her?" Naruto demanded. "Whatever it was… I've never seen her like that in my life, not after you abandoned the village, not even after the…"

He stopped, watching as Sasuke's eyes moved toward the place where the wall and floor met. Naruto wasn't used to seeing such a far away gaze coming from the cold Uchiha. It was strange… but at the same time, supported his theory on what was wrong with Sakura.

"Sasuke…"

He started walking away. "I have a mission. I wasted enough time waiting for you to get here. We'll have to talk later."

"What did you do to her?"

Sasuke halted in his retreat. He turned turn toward Naruto, looking at him with a calculating expression. "I'll explain it to you later; right now, I need to find her."

* * *

Checking her pack for the fourth time, Sakura decided she hadn't forgotten anything she'd need. There was no reason to turn back toward her apartment and search for something that wasn't missing in her supplies. With a sigh she continued with her trek toward the Konoha gate. There was only one way to get out of the village without being spotted—that was during the shift change at the gate.

She'd come to her decision without much extra thought on the subject of Orochimaru; if he wanted her, then there was no reason to keep prolonging his grasp upon her. There was no point in fighting his want of her as a container. Her body was simply a shell of her soul and held no true value.

All Sakura wanted to do was delay Orochimaru's ability to attack Konoha. She had rationalized this sacrifice as the only way she could possibly protect the people who had been fighting to protect the village for centuries. If this was the last thing she could do as a kunoichi of Konoha, then she'd willingly do it. She couldn't be put through much more than she already had. Although Orochimaru had a lecherous malice to him, and although the thought of being near him frightened her, she had no other choice. She was a pointless link in life unless she took this path.

"The last time we met out here at night, I was the one leaving."

Sakura stopped, refusing to move her eyes from the cobblestone street. His voice had come from behind, and it forced her hair to stand on end. She was scared. Her fear centered around the conversation at hand more than the person himself. The temptation to run was overwhelming; so was the urge to speak.

He took a few steps closer. "You're walking straight into the trap you fought so hard to get me out of."

"You had too much ahead of you." She responded, her voice nearing a whisper. "It would have been wrong for you to lose it all for a false power."

"What makes the situation any different in your case?"

She was silent. A breeze blew, lifting her hair and skirt. She didn't move as the skin was revealed; there was no attempt to cover herself from his eyes. Sakura weaved her words together in her mind, formulating the best way to answer his question.

"I'm an empty shell—nothing but a useless body. I might as well put it to use and delay this war."

"Give me your headband."

Sakura turned, finding herself closer to Sasuke than she'd originally thought. Cautiously, he tugged on the ends of her forehead protector, allowing it to drop soundlessly within his palm. She made no attempt to move from the close proximity of his hand. Her eyes were on the scraped one he pulled out of his pocket.

"That's…"

He shook his head. "It's not mine— this was Itachi's."

Sasuke placed the bloodstained object on her head, tying it efficiently after he placed hers into his kunai pouch. She couldn't quite fit an emotion to how solemn his face appeared as he gave her the remaining momento of his older brother—a man he had both loved and hated.

"You are as weak as he is." Sasuke spat. "If you are going to run, you have the same place as he does in my heart. I thought you were stronger than this."

"I've never been strong!" she screamed suddenly.

He glared at her, taking a hold of her wrist and drawing her hand up toward her face. "Look at the scars on your hands—the scar on your stomach and back. The bruises and calluses on your skin. That's from training, from fighting, from the near death situations you've been through. The fact that you're still alive is strength. You're strong, Sakura—stronger than most."

She wasn't sure how to take his words. It was taking everything in her not to squirm out of his grasp and slip away into a protective stance. Sakura had made up her mind, but his words were starting to sting. She could feel the anger and fear boiling within her heart—it was a dangerous mix threatening to unleash.

"What right do you have to say any of this to me?" she shrieked. "You've always belittled me—telling me what I do wrong! Why the sudden change of heart? I was _raped_, Sasuke, did you forget that? I have no use— I truly am nothing but a hindrance now!"

"How was that your fault? You couldn't control the situation, you were paralyzed, Sakura! There was nothing you could have done!" he growled.

She blinked a few times, registering his words with the emotions that were splayed across his face. Sakura couldn't remember ever seeing so much raw emotion—other than rage—from Sasuke. It seemed out of place on his face, twisting it in angles that weren't meant to be formed. His grip on her wrist began to wane before he finally let her go, turning on his heel and walking away.

"You're not the useless person you make yourself out to be… but I can't tell you to stay or not. If you walk through those gates, you become my enemy. I will hunt you down."

Sakura stammered for a response. "Sasuke… what else am I supposed to do? You don't understand!"

"Yes, I do!" he spun around, his eyes fierce. "I understand too well—I probably understand better than anyone else."

"I have no purpose anymore! I'm of no use to anyone— the mistakes I make may one day cost someone their life!" she cried.

He turned away again, clenching his fists together in a rage. "I'm not saying goodbye to you again, Sakura. It hurt enough the first time."

With large boisterous steps, Sasuke walked away. Sakura stared at his back, watching as his hands fell into place within his pockets, and the tension remained in his back. Each step he took broke her resolve. Every movement of his muscles caused her to panic. She was second guessing herself, and she hated it. Taking her hand and feeling the scratch which marred Itachi's headband, words just started to flow.

"Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yup, that's the end of the chapter. Hope you liked! I have no idea how long it will take me to update again. I'll try to make it faster!

Love and Hugs—

Crystal Renee


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